Benefits of animal-assisted therapy in Pediatric Dentistry: A narrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Animal-assisted therapy is a technique defined as the use of trained animals to facilitate patient cooperation. Anxiety in children during dental care is a challenge as it interferes with the effectiveness of the treatments performed. Animal-assisted therapy aims to generate a feeling of calm and security in patients, reducing their anxiety. The aim of this work is to describe the effects of the use of animal-assisted therapy during pediatric dentistry care. Materials and Methods: A search was carried out in the Pubmed, Google Scholar, Cochrane and Epistemonikos databases. The concepts "animal assisted therapy", "pediatric dentistry", "anxiety" were used. Observational studies, clinical trials, narrative reviews and systematic reviews between 2014-2024 were included, selecting articles on the use of animal assisted therapy in dental treatments in children. Results/Conclusion: Twelve articles were found in which it was demonstrated that using animals during dental procedures has favorable effects on psychological, physiological and social aspects in children, effectively decreasing their anxiety, which helps to perform a better treatment.