Trial reportEuropean archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry2026
A randomised controlled trial comparing effectiveness of audio-visual aid and ai-personalised video self-modelling interventions to reduce dental fear and anxiety in paediatric patients.
Trial report in European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePaediatric dental anxiety remains a significant challenge in clinical practice, often impacting co-operation and treatment outcomes. This randomised controlled trial compares the anxiety-reducing effects of AI-based self-modelling versus standard video modelling.
methodsA single-blind, parallel-arm randomised controlled trial was conducted on 80 children aged 6-12 years requiring restorative dental treatment. Participants were randomised into two groups. Dental fear and anxiety were assessed using CFSS-DS and MCDASf, along with pulse and heart rate monitoring. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention by a blinded assessor and statistically analysed.
resultsBoth groups showed significant within-group reductions in dental fear and anxiety (p < 0.001); however, no statistically significant between-group difference was observed for the primary outcome (CFSS-DS). The AI-based personalised video self-modelling app group demonstrated a greater reduction in heart rate (7.65 vs. 2.18 bpm), with a significant between-group difference (p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.89), indicating reduced short-term physiological arousal rather than overall superiority of the intervention and specific anxiety parameters, particularly related to injections and dental examinations. Intergroup analysis revealed a large effect size for heart rate (Cohen's d = 0.89) and moderate-to-large effects for selected anxiety items with some item-level differences observed. However, overall CFSS-DS score differences between groups were not statistically significant.
conclusionBoth interventions were effective in reducing dental fear and anxiety. However, no superiority was demonstrated for the primary psychological outcome. The AI-based personalised intervention showed greater reduction in physiological arousal (heart rate), suggesting potential benefits in short-term anxiety modulation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42334822What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.