- Kids Dental Studio is the pioneer of using therapy dogs to reduce the stress and pain levels of children undergoing dental treatment.
- The presence of therapy dogs acts like a stress buster and engaging in different activities with them can act like an incentive for children to visit the dentist, leading to better oral health: Dr Umangi Lekhadia, pedodontist.
- The therapy dogs at the workshop are owned by Sandra and Eva, who are from Europe and are the founders of Woofers Snow & Sky, a unique concept and implementation of Animal Assisted Interventions in Ahmedabad.
NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, NOV 13
Kids Dental Studio, a dental clinic designed especially for children, recently hosted an educational and interactive workshop on dental hygiene for children and also roped in therapy dogs for the special session.
Kids Dental Studio is the pioneer of using therapy dogs to reduce the stress and pain levels of children undergoing dental treatment.
The workshop at Kids Dental Studio in Navrangpura commenced with the “Hello Song” that is used to help the children familiarise themselves with the dogs. It was followed by Dr Umangi Lekhadia, pedodontist, and co-founder of Kids Dental Studio, sharing the importance of dental hygiene with the participants in the form of a story on the soldiers and enemies of teeth.
The children who participated in the workshop also played engaging games on dental hygiene with therapy dogs, which were present throughout the workshop. The children were shown the correct brushing strokes and made to practice brushing on models made of plaster. A basic dental check-up of the children was performed as a part of the workshop, which culminated with a dance performance by them.
“Children are generally anxious about dental treatment or even check-ups, but results have shown a significant decrease in anxiety levels with animal-assisted interventions during dental procedures. The presence of therapy dogs acts like a stress buster and engaging in different activities with them can act like an incentive for children to visit the dentist, leading to better oral health. The idea of the workshop and involving therapy dogs in it was to make children realise that undergoing dental treatment does not have to be mundane and can be fun. We are thankful to all the children and the therapy dogs for their participation,” said Dr Umangi.
The therapy dogs at the workshop are owned by Sandra and Eva, who are from Europe and are the founders of Woofers Snow & Sky, a unique concept and implementation of Animal Assisted Interventions in Ahmedabad. They have five certified therapy dogs – Snow, Sky, Storm, Shine and Sandi – and they participate in activities designed for the well-being of people of all ages in different settings including preschools, schools, libraries, assisted living facilities, and dental clinics.
Kids Dental Studio is a joint initiative of Dr Umangi and pedodontist Dr Kisha Mehta. The clinic offers a child-friendly atmosphere, with various games in the waiting area for the children. The clinic used dog therapy on a trial basis for some patients but made it a permanent fixture given the positive response it generated.
