Dog‐assisted therapy in the dental clinic. Part B. Hazards and assessment of potential risks to the health and safety of the dental therapy dog

Abstract

BackgroundA dental therapy dog may help anxious patients in the dental clinic overcome their fear and facilitate the completion of necessary dental care. Dental clinic activities are associated with hazards that may pose potential risks to the health and safety of the dental therapy dog.ObjectivesTo describe potential hazards associated with risks to health and safety to therapy dogs in dental clinics and to present suggestions for risk minimisation by adopting best practices in dental clinic settings.Materials and methodLiterature searches in Medline, http://Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar for qualitative and quantitative assessments of occupational hazards and risks in dental clinics, in combination with a review of the reference list of the included studies. Identified hazards and risks were analysed relative to their relevance for the health and welfare of a therapy dog present in a dental clinic setting.ResultsWorkplace hazards in the dental clinic that apply to both humans and therapy dogs are allergies, sharps injury, eye injury, stress, rhinitis, hearing impairment, and other hazards. Additional concerns associated with risks for the dental therapy dog are situations involving erratic patient behaviour and threats if the patient is an undisclosed disease carrier. Risks to the health and safety of the dental therapy dog in the clinics are present but are low if the dental clinical staff and dog handlers comply with best practices.ConclusionsBest practice includes awareness amongst the clinic staff and the dog handler of all potential hazards in the dental clinic and on how to reduce these hazards as well as adverse events that may scare the dental therapy dog. The dental therapy dog team must be specially trained to work in a dental clinic. Each treatment session has to be exclusively tailored to that specific appointment and the individual patient.

Does use of animal therapy during dental care help to reduce anxiety in children and adolescents? A systematic review

“…To perform the AAT, some points must be taken into account that guarantee the safety and comfort of the patient, animal, and the dental team. For example, it is necessary to have space for the dog and the patient, if it is going to stay during the dental care; the dog must wear some nonslip footwear if it is going to be in the dental chair, so that it does not slip; think about the arrangement of the dental table, dentist, and the professional who will accompany the animal; prevent the dog from remaining in the office when cleaning between patients, among many other types of care 27 …”

“…For example, it is necessary to have space for the dog and the patient, if it is going to stay during the dental care; the dog must wear some nonslip footwear if it is going to be in the dental chair, so that it does not slip; think about the arrangement of the dental table, dentist, and the professional who will accompany the animal; prevent the dog from remaining in the office when cleaning between patients, among many other types of care. 27 Anxiety was assessed in the studies using scales and by measuring temperature and pulse. The patient can reveal the presence of anxiety, fear, and phobia through: subjective interviews, self-report, and objective assessment of blood pressure, pulse rate, pulse oximetry, finger temperature, galvanic skin response, and the level of stress can be measured by the presence of cortisol in saliva.…”

Intraoral clinical examinations of pediatric patients with anticipatory anxiety and situational fear facilitated by therapy dog assistance: A pilot RCT

“…A patient rest inclined in a confined space with little maneuverability surrounded by atypical smell, chemicals, aerosols, noise, and occasional high work activity, that is, hazards associated with occupational health‐related problems known to dental clinic staff members (Moodley et al, 2018 ). These and further hazards also apply to any dog present in the clinic (Gussgard et al, 2019b ). Unless the dog has undergone proper priming to function under taxing conditions in a dental clinic, the dog risks becoming stressed and disruptive, an additional hazard to those present in the clinic (Gussgard et al, 2019a ).…”