Reducing dental anxiety in children using robotic companions: A comparative study of behavior management techniques

Anxiety related to dental treatment is a common case among children and can cause serious problems. This study introduces a new distraction technique that utilizes a robotic companion to improve the clinical experience of children and reduce dental anxiety during procedures. The goal is to create an enjoyable and calming environment for pediatric patients by employing robots, encouraging positive behaviors, and cooperation. This approach aims to avoid the expensive and risky alternatives of sedation and general anesthesia. The study focuses on children aged 6 to 10 years and presents an experimental setup involving a humanoid robot, enabling a Wizard of Oz experiment. We compare the effectiveness of two robotic companions and two conventional behavior management methods in reducing dental anxiety. Four groups of patients are treated in different behavior management scenarios: (1) a dentist treating a child without assistance, (2) a dentist assisted by a tablet, (3) a dentist assisted by a humanoid robot, and (4) a dentist assisted by a humanoid robot equipped with a screen on its chest. The performances of the robotic systems are evaluated through patient and dentist questionnaires, as well as by measuring the patient's pulse rate. The results of the experiments carried out with 120 children demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach using socially assistive robots in dental treatment.