Storytime at school could tame dentist fears for autistic children
NCT ID NCT07166978
First seen Nov 01, 2025 · Last updated Jun 23, 2026 · Updated 31 times
Summary
This study tests whether a special 'social story' about dental visits, used in preschool classrooms, can help autistic children feel less anxious and more cooperative during dental checkups. About 106 Hong Kong preschoolers with autism will be split into two groups: one gets the dental story plus weekly reinforcement, the other gets unrelated stories. Researchers will measure how long exams take, how calm the children are, and whether the approach saves money.
Disclaimer
Read more
Show less
This is a summary of
the original study
.
Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Contacts and locations
Show contact details
Enter your email to view the contact information for this study.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Study contacts
-
Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
-
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong
RECRUITINGHong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong
Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
social story
What this could lead to
If it works, this could give dentists and schools a simple, low-cost tool to make dental visits less stressful for autistic children.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 106 children in Hong Kong, so results may not apply everywhere. The social story may not reduce fear enough to make a real difference.
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.