Reduction of Dental Anxiety in Children Using Virtual Reality: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Y. Kasimoglu*, E. Alpaycetin, G. Ince, E. B. Tuna Ince

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim The aim of this research is examining the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) in the reduction of dental anxiety in children with novel methods. Methods The three arm parallel-group randomised clinical study was conducted in children aged 6-10 years. Pulpotomy procedure was performed on randomised 90 selected children (n=30 in each group; AG: group applied active distraction using VR glasses, PG: group applied passive distraction, i.e., watching cartoons on a screen mounted onto a dental unit, CG: control group). Before and after the procedure, children were administered Facial Pain Scale (FIS), Children’s Fear Rating Scale (CFSS-DS) and Frankl Behaviour Rating Scale (FBRS). The pulse rate was measured to check the anxiety levels of all treated children at five different time points. Statistical significance was determined as p<0.05. Results The decrease of pulse rates of children in AG in posttreatment compared to the pulse rates before the procedure was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of FBRS, FIS and CFSS-DS scores before and after the procedure (p>0.05). Conclusions VR has been found to positively contribute to the performance of children in adapting to dental treatment. The VR application aims to create positive attitude in children by providing them a safe atmosphere and becoming a useful tool in the dental profession.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)185-191
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean journal of paediatric dentistry : official journal of European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright (c) 2021 Ariesdue. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Keywords

  • Child patient
  • behaviour management techniques
  • distraction
  • virtual reality

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