The Effect of Teledentistry on Dental Anxiety in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

June 16, 2026 updated by: Venus Seyedoskuyi, Istanbul Aydın University
This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of a brief teledentistry consultation on dental anxiety in children aged 7-11 years. Two hundred children with no previous dental visits or treatment experience were randomly assigned to either a teledentistry group or a conventional clinical examination group. The teledentistry group received a standardized 3-5-minute pre-appointment video consultation via WhatsApp before their first dental visit. Dental anxiety was assessed using subjective and physiological parameters before and after the examination. The study investigated whether teledentistry could reduce dental anxiety and improve children's adaptation to their first dental visit.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey. The study included 200 children aged 7-11 years with no previous dental visits, dental treatment experience, or dental complaints. Participants were randomly allocated to either a teledentistry group (n=100) or a conventional clinical examination group (n=100). In the teledentistry group, children participated in a standardized synchronous 3-5-minute pre-appointment consultation via WhatsApp. During the consultation, children were introduced to the dentist, dental instruments, oral health concepts, and the examination process. The conventional group underwent direct face-to-face examination without prior virtual interaction. Dental anxiety was assessed using the Facial Image Scale (FIS), heart rate, and oxygen saturation measured before and after clinical examination. The primary outcome was the difference in post-examination FIS scores between groups. Secondary outcomes included changes in heart rate and oxygen saturation.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

200

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kucukcekmece
      • Istanbul, Kucukcekmece, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Istanbul Aydin University

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 7 to 11 years.
  • Children attending their first dental examination appointment.
  • Children requiring a non-emergency dental examination.
  • Children and their parents/legal guardians who provided written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children with previous dental treatment experience.
  • Children with systemic diseases, neurological disorders, or developmental disabilities that could affect anxiety assessment.
  • Children requiring emergency dental treatment.
  • Children whose parents/legal guardians did not provide consent.

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: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Teledentistry Group
Participants received a standardized 3-5-minute synchronous teledentistry consultation via WhatsApp before their first dental examination. Children were introduced to the dentist, dental instruments, oral health concepts, and the examination process.
Behavioral: Teledentistry Consultation
A standardized synchronous teledentistry consultation delivered via WhatsApp for 3-5 minutes before the first dental examination. Children were introduced to the dentist, dental instruments, oral health concepts, and the examination process.
Active Comparator: Conventional Clinical Examination Group
Participants underwent a conventional face-to-face clinical examination without prior teledentistry consultation. Children met the pediatric dentist for the first time during their scheduled dental appointment and received a routine clinical examination.
Other: Conventional Clinical Examination
Participants underwent a routine face-to-face dental examination without prior teledentistry consultation. Children attended their first dental visit and received a standard clinical examination performed by a pediatric dentist.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Subjective dental anxiety in children
Time Frame: Before and immediately after the first dental examination (same day)
Dental anxiety levels of children assessed before and after the first dental examination using the Facial Image Scale (FIS).
Before and immediately after the first dental examination (same day)
Objective dental anxiety assessed by oxygen saturation
Time Frame: Before and immediately after the first dental examination (same day)
Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) was measured before and immediately after the first dental examination as an objective physiological parameter of dental anxiety.
Before and immediately after the first dental examination (same day)
Objective dental anxiety assessed by heart rate
Time Frame: Before and immediately after the first dental examination (same day)
Heart rate was measured before and immediately after the first dental examination as an objective physiological parameter of dental anxiety.
Before and immediately after the first dental examination (same day)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Istanbul Aydın University

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)

September 11, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 23, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

September 27, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 16, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2022/143

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

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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