Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Assessing Dental Anxiety in Children

January 27, 2026 updated by: Sümeyra Akkoç

The Effect of Artificial Intelligence on the Development of Projective Methods Used in the Determination of Dental Anxiety in Children

The goal of this observational study was to evaluate an artificial intelligence-assisted projective method for assessing dental anxiety in young children and to understand how the first child-dentist interaction affected dental anxiety. The main questions it aimed to answer were:

Did the artificial intelligence-assisted projective method provide a valid and reliable assessment of dental anxiety in children aged 3 to 6 years? Did dental anxiety change after the child's first interaction with the dentist during the first dental visit? Children aged 3 to 6 years who attended their first dental visit as part of routine dental care took part. During the same visit, dental anxiety was assessed before and after the initial child-dentist interaction using picture-based dental anxiety scales and the newly developed projective method. All assessments were completed on the same day.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

This study evaluated the validity and reliability of an artificial intelligence-assisted projective assessment tool using the Facial Image Scale, the Venham Picture Test, and the Raghavendra, Madhuri, and Sujata Pictorial Scale as comparator measures. Dental anxiety was assessed with the AI-assisted tool and all comparator scales immediately before and immediately after the child's first interaction with the dentist during the same visit. Reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), agreement was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis, and criterion validity was assessed using Spearman rank correlation. Pre-interaction and post-interaction dental anxiety scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test separately for each measurement tool.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

171

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Centre
      • Kütahya, Centre, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Kütahya Health Sciences University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children aged 3-6 years who presented for a routine dental examination to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Kütahya Health Sciences University, between August 2024 and November 2024.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • The child and the parent/guardian agree to participate in the study.
  • The child's native language is Turkish.
  • The child is attending their first dental visit.
  • The child has no systemic disease.
  • The child is able to cooperate sufficiently to complete the initial dental examination.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current use of medication, a known history of allergy, or the presence of any mental or physical disability

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
First Dental Visit Group
Children aged 3-6 years who presented for a routine dental examination, were attending their first dental visit, and met the inclusion and exclusion criteria constituted the study group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
AI-Assisted Projective Dental Anxiety Assessment Tool Score
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Dental anxiety is assessed using an AI-Assisted projective assessment tool. The score ranges from 1 to 5, and higher scores indicate higher dental anxiety.
Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Facial Image Scale (FIS) Score
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Dental anxiety is assessed using the FIS. The score ranges from 1 to 5, and higher scores indicate higher dental anxiety.
Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Venham Picture Test (VPT) Score
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Dental anxiety is assessed using the VPT. The score ranges from 0 to 8, and higher scores indicate higher dental anxiety.
Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Raghavendra, Madhuri, and Sujata Pictorial Scale (RMS-PS) Score
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)
Dental anxiety is assessed using the RMS-PS. The score ranges from 1 to 5, and higher scores indicate higher dental anxiety.
Immediately before and immediately after the initial child-dentist interaction (same visit)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sümeyra Akkoç

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)

August 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

November 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 27, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024/05-33

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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.

Clinical Trials on Dental Anxiety

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Djibouti

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe