Restricted Research - Award List, Note/Discussion Page
Fiscal Year: 2023
295 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (142183)
Principal Investigator: Hovey,Laura Diane
Total Amount of Contract, Award, or Gift (Annual before 2011): $ 630,869
Exceeds $250,000 (Is it flagged?): Yes
Start and End Dates: 9/6/22 - 8/31/24
Restricted Research: YES
Academic Discipline: Psychological Science
Department, Center, School, or Institute: Psychological Science
Title of Contract, Award, or Gift: One session treatment for dental phobia in an underserved population
Name of Granting or Contracting Agency/Entity:
U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services
CFDA Link: HHS
93.121
Program Title:
Oral Diseases and Disorders Research
CFDA Linked: Oral Diseases and Disorders Research
Note:
SAMs 1.1.1--Although our knowledge about the etiology of dental phobia is well developed, we know considerably less about how to treat dental phobia in youth. Dental phobia is associated with avoidance of proper dental care, poor dental health, and decrements in social and oral quality of life. Although dental phobia may persist for many years, the disorder usually first manifests during childhood or adolescence. The primary goal of this research application is to prepare for and conduct a Stage III trial comparing OST for dental phobia in children and adolescents to an active control treatment in a predominantly Hispanic population and to examine inhibitory learning as the mechanism responsible for changes in anxiety and fear. The aims of the UG3 phase are to do the preparatory work needed for the trial, including the development of all study documentation and finalizing the clinical sites. Additional plans during the UG3 phase include the assessment of the acceptability and feasibility of the study procedures and a trial examining whether youth treated with OST show evidence of changes in inhibitory learning. The research aim of the UH3 stage is to conduct a Stage III social/behavioral clinical trial in which OST is delivered by dental hygienists. This research trial would randomize dental clinics to one of the two treatment arms (OST vs. Control) so that patient response and the hypothesized mechanism of treatment can be assessed. Factors related to future dissemination and implementation efforts will also be examined. It is hypothesized that OST can provide an efficacious treatment option that can be delivered by hygienists in the dental office. That is, that the treatment can decrease both anxiety and phobic avoidance in youth. Moreover, although exposure therapy has a high level of empirical support in youth and a good deal of laboratory work has been conducted to develop the theory to explains its effects, the main hypothesized mechanism of action – inhibitory learning – has not been researched as a mediator within the context of a clinical trial; therefore, this work could advance our understanding of the mechanism driving one of the most promising treatments for individuals with anxiety disorders.
Discussion: No discussion notes