Video-Enhanced Tell-Show-Do for Managing Dental Anxiety in Children

NCT07632547 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UDDS-Pedo-03-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study is the first of its kind to examine the effect of integrating the real oral environment with a video that supports the expressions used during the Tell-Show-Do technique (such as "we will see the cavity," "the cavity will drink juice to fall asleep," and "we will clean the tooth from the cavity"). This approach aims to enhance the Tell-Show-Do technique, build trust with the child, and reduce anxiety at the different stages of dental treatment in the clinical setting.

Conditions

Distraction; Behavior Management

Keywords

Dental anxiety; Video modeling / Simulation; Tell-Show-Do technique

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Heart Rate

  Assessment tool: Pulse oximeter Measurement unit: Beats per minute (bpm) Assessment time points: Heart rate was assessed during a single dental treatment visit at baseline before treatment, after behavior management, during local anesthetic injection, before and during rubber dam placement, before handpiece use, and during restorative treatment.

  during a single dental treatment visit at baseline before treatment, after behavior management, during local anesthetic injection, before and during rubber dam placement, before handpiece use, and during restorative treatment.

• Facial Image Scale (FIS)

  Assessment tool: Facial Image Scale questionnaire Measurement unit: Ordinal score (1-5) Assessment time points: Facial Image Scale was assessed during a single dental treatment visit at baseline and during treatment.

  The Facial Image Scale was assessed during a single dental treatment visit at baseline (first visit before intervention) and during dental treatment.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂)

  Baseline; after behavior management; during injection; before rubber dam placement; during rubber dam placement; before handpiece use; during treatment during a single dental treatment visit.

Study Arms (2)

Tell-Show-Do behavior management technique

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Children in this group will receive restorative treatment with following the traditional TSD technique without any visual aids.

Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment

Real-Oral Simulation Video-Assisted Tell-Show-Do Technique

EXPERIMENTAL

Children in this group will receive restorative treatment with following the enhanced Tell-Show-Do technique with a video simulating the real oral environment

Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment

Interventions

Behavioral Treatment BEHAVIORAL

This group received treatment guided by the Tell-Show-Do (TSD) method. Each step was explained through simple analogies-referring to local anesthesia as 'sleepy juice' and the rubber dam as a 'trap' for the 'tooth worm.' After the explanation and instrument demonstration, restorative treatment was carried out. The protocol excluded the use of any audiovisual aids. All procedures involved conservative restoration of the mandibular primary molars

Also known as: Tell-Show-Do Technique

Tell-Show-Do behavior management technique

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 4 Years - 6 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 4-6 years, with or without previous dental experience.
• Children with a positive behavior rating according to the Frankl scale.
• Children with primary molars requiring conservative dental treatment.

You may not qualify if:

• Children with systemic or mental disorders.
• Children who received sedative or analgesic medications within the 3 hours prior to the dental visit.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Damascus University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Damascus University

Damascus, Syria

RECRUITING

Related Publications (4)

• Abbasi H, Saqib M, Jouhar R, Lal A, Ahmed N, Ahmed MA, Alam MK. The Efficacy of Little Lovely Dentist, Dental Song, and Tell-Show-Do Techniques in Alleviating Dental Anxiety in Paediatric Patients: A Clinical Trial. Biomed Res Int. 2021 May 23;2021:1119710. doi: 10.1155/2021/1119710. eCollection 2021.

  PMID: 34124238 BACKGROUND

• Khandelwal D, Kalra N, Tyagi R, Khatri A, Gupta K. Control of Anxiety in Pediatric Patients using "Tell Show Do" Method and Audiovisual Distraction. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2018 Sep 1;19(9):1058-1064.

  PMID: 30287704 BACKGROUND

• Seligman LD, Hovey JD, Chacon K, Ollendick TH. Dental anxiety: An understudied problem in youth. Clin Psychol Rev. 2017 Jul;55:25-40. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2017.04.004. Epub 2017 Apr 19.

  PMID: 28478271 BACKGROUND

• Liu Y, Gu Z, Wang Y, Wu Q, Chen V, Xu X, Zhou X. Effect of audiovisual distraction on the management of dental anxiety in children: A systematic review. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2019 Jan;29(1):14-21. doi: 10.1111/ipd.12430. Epub 2018 Oct 26.

  PMID: 30362187 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Behavior Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Study Officials

• Chaza Kouchaji

  Damascus University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Rana Soleman

CONTACT

+963 934 966 599; drranasoliman66@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 7, 2026
• First Posted: June 8, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SY (1)