AI avatar video to help reduce anxiety and improve cooperation during children's dental numbing shots.
Official title: Artificial Intelligence-driven Avatar-based Video vs. Tell-show-do for Reducing Anxiety and Improving Cooperation in Children During Local Anesthesia: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Run by Saint-Joseph University · NCT07449884 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will test whether a short AI-generated avatar video helps 5–7-year-old children feel less anxious and cooperate better during local anesthesia injections compared with the usual Tell-Show-Do explanation.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 5 Years to 7 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 70 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Saint-Joseph University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Beirut) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | February 16, 2026 |
| Main results expected | April 30, 2027 |
| Study ends | May 30, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | March 30, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07449884 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are medically healthy (ASA I) children aged 5–7 who are cooperative on exam, require non-urgent dental treatment with local anesthesia for the first time, and can understand and communicate.
✕Probably not a fit
Children with diagnosed anxiety or behavioral disorders, cognitive or developmental delays, hearing or vision impairments, prior experience with dental anesthesia, or those requiring a different anesthesia technique (e.g., inferior alveolar nerve block) are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized trial enrolls healthy children aged 5 to 7 who need local anesthesia for routine dental treatment and have not had prior dental anesthesia. Participants are randomly assigned to either a conventional Tell-Show-Do explanation delivered by the pediatric dentist or to watch a short AI-driven animated avatar video (the "Mini Dentist") that explains and demonstrates the procedure. Heart rate will be recorded at five standardized time points, and behavioral responses will be measured with the FLACC scale and self-reported Wong-Baker FACES pain scale, with injections standardized and performed by the same clinician. Video recordings will be scored by calibrated evaluators to provide objective behavioral data.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the AI-avatar video could lower anxiety and improve cooperation during numbing injections, making the experience less distressing for young children and easier for dentists.
How similar studies have gone: Video-modeling and digital distraction techniques have shown some success in reducing pediatric dental anxiety, but AI-driven avatar interventions are relatively new and not yet widely tested.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 5 to 7 years * Medically healthy (ASA I) * Cooperative behavior during dental examination * No known allergy to local anesthetics * Require non-urgent dental treatment under local anesthesia * First-time experience receiving local anesthesia * Able to understand and communicate Exclusion Criteria: * History of epilepsy * Diagnosed anxiety or behavioral disorders * Cognitive or developmental delay * Hearing or visual impairment * Previous experience with dental anesthesia * Require inferior alveolar nerve block anesthesia Exclusion Criteria: \-
Where it's running
-
Sint Joseph University of Beirut- Pediatric Dentistry clinic
Beirut, Lebanon Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Rita Melekian, Pediatric dentistry resident
- Email: rita.melekian@net.usj.edu.lb
- Phone: 71/895228
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.