Primary outcome
APPENDIX
This trial was planned for an anticipated excellent study participant compliance in the presence of a therapy dog during the first clinical examination, in contrast to more negative compliance with no dog present (Supporting Information: Appendix ‐ Figure Apart from a latent concern that the parent/guardian‐reported CFSS‐DS scores were possibly inflated, it cannot be ruled out that the study invitation letter may have impacted the findings. The detailed descriptions and pictures of a dental examination and a dental therapy dog likely triggered emotional reactions of interest and curiosity. They created new and favorable anticipations and associations before the first dental examinations. In turn, the first positive encounter with a new dentist, with or without the presence of a dog, created new experiences, where the study participants and or their guardians/parents approached the second dental visit with interest/curiosity rather than anxiety/fear that the dental appointments had elicited in their past.This hypothesis is supported by the CFSS‐DS data (Figure 