Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Glasses as a Distraction for Children During Dental Care

Purpose: The purpose of this review was to investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) glasses as an audiovisual distraction technique on dental anxiety, pain perception, and behavior triggered during dental treatment in children up to 12 years old. The research question asked was: Can improvement be seen in the child's behavior, pain perception or anxiety when VR eyeglasses are used during dental treatment? Methods: Five databases were searched for studies published until September 2018. Studies were selected by titles and abstracts, followed by full-texts reading. Results: Meta-analysis was performed and combined results were presented as a pooled mean difference for each procedure, using random-effect models. Nine randomized clinical trials assessed the effect of VR glasses on children's behavior during dental care. No differences were observed in anxiety levels during local anesthesia, use of rubber dam, removal of caries and restorative procedures. Similar results were observed in children's behavior when local anesthesia and rubber dam were used. Conclusions: The use of virtual reality glasses is an effective tool for improving behavior and reducing pain perception during the dental treatment of children. Children who used VR eye-glasses behaved better during removal of caries and showed lower pain perception during restoration.