Improving Adolescent-dentist Interaction Through Digital Technology
- Conditions
- Dental Anxiety
- Interventions
- Behavioral: "FALE" Application
- Registration Number
- NCT03907514
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Pernambuco
- Brief Summary
The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of a digital tool on the interaction between the dentist and the adolescent patient, concerning the level of dental anxiety and communication. To achieve this purpose, a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial will be performed using a short version of e-SAID (Survey of Anxiety and Information for Dentists) in Portuguese (FALE). That is, the intervention to be tested is an application usage, which will contain a questionnaire with questions supposedly made by the dentist, about feelings regarding the dental appointment and preferences for coping with dental treatment. Thus, the use of this digital tool aims to facilitate communication, favoring the adolescent-dentist relationship, and establishing empathy.
- Detailed Description
The target population consists of patients between 10 and 19 years old, attending the Adolescent Clinic in the Dental School of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), campus of Recife. The sample will consist of 184 adolescents, 92 in each group (intervention and control). Randomization will be stratified according to sex, age and presence or absence of dental anxiety. In the waiting room, before the dental appointment, the adolescents in the intervention group (IG) will use the FALE application to answer the questionnaire and assess the level of anxiety. Those in the control group (CG) will only record their level of anxiety. The undergraduates responsible for attending the IG participants will receive, prior to dental care, a report of the answers given by the adolescents through the application. During the dental consultation, a psychologist, who will be observing the care, will evaluate the adolescents behavior, considering cooperation. After the appointment, the adolescent will evaluate how much he/she felt benefited by the use of the app; how he evaluates the communication between him/her and the dentist; if he/she thinks that the app contributed with this communication; his/her satisfaction with dental treatment; and his/her satisfaction with the undergraduate attendance. The undergraduate will also evaluate his/her level of satisfaction with the application's use; how he/she evaluates the communication between him/her and the adolescent patient; how much the application has helped with this communication; and the degree of patient's cooperation during the dental consultation. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis will be performed using appropriate tests through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21 and significance level of 5%.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 184
- Brazilian adolescents literate in Portuguese
- Brazilian adolescents able to use smartphone
- Adolescents with intellectual, sensory or physical disabilities
- Adolescents not capable to read and write/type
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Intervention Group (IG) "FALE" Application The adolescents in this group will use the "FALE" application through a smartphone in the waiting room before the dental appointment. When starting to answer the application, the adolescent will report his/her level of dental anxiety through the question, "How do you feel about coming to see your dentist today?", and record his/her answer on a seven-point face scale. Then the participant will continue to answer the 12 other questions, and finally registers his/her anxiety level once more through the same question.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Changes in adolescent patient's level of dental anxiety through the FALE application. The outcome measure will be assessed before a single dental appointment in two stages: at the beginning and after four minutes, in the end of the "FALE" application use. Changes in patient's level of dental anxiety will be obtained through the question: "How do you feel about coming to see your dentist today?". This question is inserted in the FALE application and is answered through a seven-point face scale.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Federal University of Pernambuco
🇧🇷Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil