Virtual Reality Distraction in Pediatric Dentistry: A Comprehensive Review of Its Efficacy and Applications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ajm.2025.8.02.4Keywords:
Pediatric Dentistry , Behavioursmanagement, Virtual Reality DistractionAbstract
The effective delivery of dental care can often be hindered by a child’s reluctance to cooperate. It is essential to explore psychological behavior management methods that effectively reduce anxiety during dental visits while fostering a positive attitude towards dental procedures. Despite the availability of numerous behavior management techniques, the chosen approach must also be acceptable to parents. Among these techniques, distraction is one of the most commonly utilized and well-received by parents. It involves diverting children’s attention away from what they may perceive as unpleasant procedures. Recently, virtual reality distraction (VRD) has emerged as an innovative and increasingly recognized method for providing this diversion. The aim of this research is to thoroughly examine the virtual reality distraction technique.References
Barros Padilha DX, Veiga NJ, Mello-Moura ACV, Nunes Correia P. Virtual reality and behaviour management in paediatric dentistry: a systematic review. BMC Oral Health. 2023;23(1):995.
Pawar M, Pandya P, Rimple CM, Agrawal K, Dasarraju RK, Jain S. Virtual reality distraction: a novel behaviour management technique. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2024;16(Suppl 1):S53–S55.
Koticha P, Katge F, Shetty S, Patil DP. Effectiveness of virtual reality eyeglasses as a distraction aid to reduce anxiety among 6–10-year-old children undergoing dental extraction procedure. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2019;12:297–302.
Panda A. Effect of virtual reality distraction on pain perception during dental treatment in children. Int J Oral Care Res. 2017;5:278–281.
Bagher SM, Felemban OM, Alandijani AA, Tashkandi MM, Bhadila GY, Bagher AM. The effect of virtual reality distraction on anxiety level during dental treatment among anxious pediatric patients: a randomized clinical trial. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2023;47(4):63–71.
Hamdy SF, Farag MSMS, Helmy YS, Abo-Elsoud AA. Enhancing pediatric dental care: the influence of virtual reality. Eur J Dent. 2024;18(4):1030–1039.
Gómez-Polo C, Vilches AA, Ribas D, Castaño-Séiquer A, Montero J. Behaviour and anxiety management of paediatric dental patients through virtual reality: a randomized clinical trial. J Clin Med. 2021;10(14):3019.
Nuvvula S, Alahari S, Kamatham R, Challa RR. Effect of audiovisual distraction with 3D video glasses on dental anxiety of children experiencing administration of local analgesia: a randomized clinical trial. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2015;16(1):43–50.
Buldur B, Candan M. Does virtual reality affect children’s dental anxiety, pain, and behaviour? A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Pesqui Bras Odontopediatria Clin Integr. 2020;21:1–14.
Niharika P, Venugopal Reddy N, Srujana P, Srikanth K, Daneswari V, Sai GK. Effects of distraction using virtual reality technology on pain perception and anxiety levels in children during pulp therapy of primary molars. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2018;36(4):364–369.
Pande P, Rana V, Srivastava N, Kaushik N. Effectiveness of different behavior guidance techniques in managing children with negative behavior in a dental setting: a randomized control study. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2020;38(3):259–265.
Greeshma SG, George S, Anandaraj S, Sain S, Jose D, Sreenivas A, et al. Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of virtual reality distraction, audio distraction and tell-show-do techniques in reducing the anxiety level of pediatric dental patients: an in vivo study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2021;14(Suppl 2):S173–S178.
Zaidman L, Lusky G, Shmueli A, Halperson E, Moskovitz M, Ram D, et al. Distraction with virtual reality goggles in paediatric dental treatment: a randomised controlled trial. Int Dent J. 2023;73(1):108–113.
