Effect of Virtual Reality During Periodontal Treatment of Patients with Anxiety

Various methods have been used to reduce the patient's anxiety during dental treatment. In recent years, there has been an increase in behavioral research regarding virtual reality (VR) and virtual world as it offers more immersive images and works by blocking out real-world stimuli (visual, auditory or both). This study aimed at assessing the impact of VR on working conditions and pain during scaling and root planing (SRP) in anxious patients.
In this clinical trial, 14 eligible patients were randomly divided into two groups. Participants of one of the groups were wearing eyeglasses during SRP of the first quadrant, while in the other group, SRP was performed without any intervention. The intervention group was reversed for SRP of the second quadrant. The patients’ anxiety (dental anxiety scale-revised, DAS-R), pain score (visual analog scale, VAS), blood pressure (BP), and pulse rate (PR) were recorded before and after SRP. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney-U test.
There was a significant difference in the patients’ PR and stress during SRP between the test and control groups (P<0.001). Moreover, the patients’ anxiety was significantly reduced by using eyeglasses during SRP.
Video eyeglasses are a useful tool for improving the quality of dental care by enhancing the patients’ satisfaction and reducing the patients’ pain and anxiety.