Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Fall;6(4):117-24.
doi: 10.5681/joddd.2012.025. Epub 2012 Nov 12.

The Impact of Virtual Reality Distraction on Pain and Anxiety during Dental Treatment in 4-6 Year-Old Children: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Naser Asl Aminabadi  1 , Leila Erfanparast, Azin Sohrabi, Sina Ghertasi Oskouei, Armaghan Naghili
Affiliations

The Impact of Virtual Reality Distraction on Pain and Anxiety during Dental Treatment in 4-6 Year-Old Children: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Naser Asl Aminabadi et al. J Dent Res Dent Clin Dent Prospects. 2012 Fall.

Abstract

Background and aims: Dental practitioners have numerous methods to control anxiety and pain in children, and distracting the child appears to be the most common technique used for behavior management during dental procedures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of using virtual reality eyeglasses on severity of pain and anxiety during dental procedures in pediatric patients.

Materials and methods: This study included 120 healthy children aged 4-6 years. Children with no previous anxiety disorder were randomly divided into two groups, each consisting of 60 children. The study consisted of 3 consecutive treatment sessions. During the first visit fluoride therapy was carried out in both groups. In the next sessions, the groups received restorative treatment with and without virtual reality eyeglasses in a randomized single-blind-controlled crossover fashion. Then at the end of each session the subjects' pain severity was assessed using Wong Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale and state anxiety was measured by Faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale [MCDAS (f)].

Results: There was a significant decrease in pain perception (P < 0.001) and state anxiety scores (P < 0.001) with the use of virtual reality eyeglasses during dental treatment.

Conclusion: Results of this study showed that virtual reality eyeglasses can successfully decrease pain perception and state anxiety during dental treatment.

Trial registration number: 201103126036N1.

Keywords: Anxiety; dental treatment; distraction; pain; virtual reality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 4
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mathew P, Mathew J. Assessment and management of pain in infants. Postgard Med J. 2003;79:438–43. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Prabhaker AR, Marwah N, Raju OS. A comparison between audio and audiovisual distraction techniques in managing anxious pediatric dental patients. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2007;25:177–182. - PubMed
    1. Ram D, Peretz B. Administering Local anaesthesia to paediatric dental patients –current status and prospects for the future. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2002;12:80–9. - PubMed
    1. Sinha M, Christopher NC, Fenn R, Reeves L. Evaluation of non-pharmacologic methods of pain and anxiety management for laceration repair in the pediatric emergency department. Pediatrics. 2006;117:1162–8. - PubMed
    1. Wang ZX, Sun LH, Chen AP. The efficacy of non pharmacological methods of pain management in school age children receiving venipuncture in a pediatric department: a randomized controlled trial of audiovisual distraction and routine psychological intervention. Swiss Med Wkly. 2008;138:579–84. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources