One-session treatment to reduce dental fear in underserved children and teens
One session treatment for dental phobia in an underserved population
This project offers a single-session therapy to help children and adolescents—especially in Hispanic communities—overcome fear of the dentist.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Edinburg, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11251509 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be invited to a single, focused exposure therapy session designed to address dental fears, delivered with dental professionals present to make the experience realistic and safe. The project will compare this one-session treatment to another active treatment to see which helps more with anxiety and future dental visits. Most participants will be children and adolescents from a predominantly Hispanic community served by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Researchers will also measure how changes in learning and fear responses relate to improvements in anxiety and dental avoidance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children and adolescents (roughly 6–20 years old) from predominantly Hispanic/Latino communities who have strong fear of the dentist that leads them to avoid care.
Not a fit: People outside the trial's target age range or those with severe, complex psychiatric conditions that require more intensive treatment may not benefit from a one-session approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help young people get over dental fear quickly and improve their dental care and quality of life.
How similar studies have performed: One-session exposure therapy has shown good results for other specific phobias in children and adolescents, but dental and medical phobias have not been well studied with this method until now.
Where this research is happening
Edinburg, United States
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley — Edinburg, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seligman, Laura D — University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Study coordinator: Seligman, Laura D
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.