Contribution of Animal-assisted Intervention in Oral Healthcare for Disabled Patients (YODA) (YODA)

March 9, 2026 updated by: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Contribution of Animal-assisted Intervention in Oral Healthcare for Disabled Patients

The purpose of this study is to determine whether animal-assisted therapy during 2 care sessions then facilitates conventional ambulatory management without animal assistance in anxious uncooperative children with autism.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The particularity of some disabled patients, especially those with an autism spectrum disorder, is represented by anxiety, which can range from a slight tension to screaming or even extreme agitation. This behavior can make therapeutic management difficult, both for the patient and the caregiver. This is particularly true for oral health care, where the cooperation of the patient is essential. Conventional behavioral approaches, with implementation of a multitude of adaptive strategies, has a fundamental role to play. With disabled patients, these techniques are most often based on non-verbal or para-verbal communication rather than on linguistic procedures. In this context, an Animal Assisted Intervention could be of major help. The primary outcome is average child anxiety during the session assessed by the Venham scale modified by Veerkamp measured at the end of the third session of care (without animal-assisted therapy).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • France
      • Paris, France
        • Hôpital Bretonneau - Service d'odontologie

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

6 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Minors aged ≥ 6 to ≤ 17 years,
  • Carriers of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
  • Child with an average Venham scale score ≥ 3 at the end of the care of the inclusion session
  • Who accept the presence of the dog
  • Who declare having been in contact with a dog in the past
  • Consent from the child's legal guardians for the child's participation in the study,
  • Be affiliated to a social security scheme in their own name or be the legal guardian of a person with parental authority.
  • A state of health requiring a simple, non-complex dental procedure (preventive, carious, traumatic or orthodontic care, excluding complex surgery in the operating theatre)
  • A state of health requiring a dental treatment protocol consisting of at least 3 scheduled treatment sessions spaced at least 7 days and no more than 21 days apart.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Child with dog allergy
  • Cynophobia
  • Who claims never to have been exposed to a dog (allergy risk not assessed)
  • Patient on AME

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Animal-assisted intervention
The dog accompanied by the zootherapist will participate in the care of the sessions. During these sessions, the dog will be brought into the child's presence in the waiting room until the end of the dental consultation.
Other: Animal-assisted intervention
The dog accompanied by the zootherapist will participate in the care of sessions 1 and 2. During these two sessions, the dog will be present with the child in the waiting room until the end of the dental consultation. Session 3 will take place without the dog being present.The usual management with conventional behavioural strategies and possible administration of MEOPA will be implemented during the 3 treatment sessions.
Behavioral: Venham scale modified by Veerkamp
The Venham scale modified by Veerkamp, based on observation of one's behaviour and used in current practice, ranges from 0 (relaxed) to 5 (totally disconnected from the reality of danger).
Other: Standard care
The treatment sessions will only involve the use of conventional behavioural strategies.
Behavioral: Venham scale modified by Veerkamp
The Venham scale modified by Veerkamp, based on observation of one's behaviour and used in current practice, ranges from 0 (relaxed) to 5 (totally disconnected from the reality of danger).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Average anxiety
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 3 months
Average anxiety of the child during the session assessed by the Venham scale modified by Veerkamp measured at the end of the third treatment session (without animal assisted intervention). Score on a scale : Min = 0 Max = 5 : 0 = relaxed, 1 = uneasy, 2 = tense, 3 = unwilling, 4 = very troubled, 5 = totally out of touch
through study completion, an average of 3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Evaluate the success of the care session (complete achievement of the planned objective)
Time Frame: at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Overall success of the session: dental care completed in its entirety
at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Validate the use of MEOPA administration
Time Frame: at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Use of MEOPA: administration of MEOPA during the session
at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Assess the types of acts for which animal assisted intervention reduces the child's anxiety
Time Frame: at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Types of procedures for which animal assisted intervention reduces anxiety: assessment of anxiety by the Venham scale modified by Verkamp measured at the end of each type of procedure : waiting room, entry into practice, X-rays, anaesthesia, placement of the dam, use of rotary instruments
at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Assessing the safety of animal assisted intervention for oral care
Time Frame: at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months
Occurrence of undesirable events associated with the animal assisted intervention, including infectious events of the zoonosis type (assessment by the practitioner at the beginning of each session and by the accompanying person who must report to the practitioner any manifestation that has appeared since the last session), episodes of agitation linked to the presence of the dog, bites.
at the end of each follow-up visit, on average 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
URC-CIC Paris Descartes Necker Cochin

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Jean-Marc Tréluyer, MD, PhD, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 24, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 25, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 25, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 5, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 10, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 13, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • APHP220662
  • 2022-A00871-42 (Other Identifier: ID-RCB Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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