Enhancing paediatric dental preparation through AI-assisted bilingual storytelling: a preliminary quantitative evaluation of Mouth Ville

Dental anxiety and uncooperative behaviour can complicate dental treatment among young children. Conventional preparatory materials may provide information but may not adequately address children’s need for engaging, developmentally appropriate, and emotionally supportive preparation. This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary effects of Mouth Ville: An Animated Journey of Happy Teeth, an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted bilingual storytelling intervention, on dental anxiety and observable cooperative behaviour among paediatric patients undergoing dental extraction. A quantitative single-group pre–post pilot study was conducted among 10 paediatric patients aged 5–6 years. The research team developed Mouth Ville using an AI-assisted multimedia production workflow that incorporated bilingual storytelling, animated visual content, and synthetic narration, with clinical and pedagogical oversight. Dental anxiety was assessed before and after exposure to the intervention using the six-item Malay Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale–Faces version (Malay-MCDAS(f)), while observable cooperative behaviour was assessed using the Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale. Pre–post differences were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Mean MCDAS(f) scores decreased from 18.1 ± 1.91 before the intervention to 12.7 ± 2.00 after exposure, with all participants demonstrating reduced scores (W = 0, exact p = 0.002). Mean Frankl scores increased from 2.0 ± 0.00 to 3.2 ± 0.63, with 80% of participants demonstrating improved behaviour (W = 0, exact p = 0.004). These preliminary findings suggest that AI-assisted bilingual storytelling may support paediatric dental preparation; however, the small sample and absence of a control group limit causal inference. Larger controlled studies are warranted to establish effectiveness and longer-term outcomes.