Virtual reality effectively manages anxiety among patients undergoing restorative procedures with inferior alveolar nerve block

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-05-01T20:15:23+05:30 | Updated On 2 May 2023 11:30 AM IST

Virtual reality effectively manages anxiety among patients undergoing restorative procedures with inferior alveolar nerve block suggests a new study published in the Journal of Dentistry

A study was done to analyse the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) distraction intervention for the management of dental anxiety in paediatric patients.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of VR distraction interventions for reducing anxiety in paediatric patients, published in English were included. Seven databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE via ProQuest, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, covering the period between January 2000 and September 2022 were searched.

A total of 12 RCTs involving 818 participants were included. Quality appraisal was undertaken using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials by two authors independently. Random-effects model was used to summarise the effects of the interventions and pool data.

Results showed that VR distraction interventions were effective in reducing the dental anxiety of paediatric patients. In meta-analysis, the VR distraction interventions had a significant effect on reducing paediatric patients’ anxiety during dental treatment. However, the evidence of VR in managing dental anxiety would become weak because of the publication bias.

VR distraction interventions could be an effective approach to alleviate the dental anxiety of paediatric patients. Additional well-designed and high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed to determine the optimal way to deliver VR interventions in paediatric dental clinics.

Reference:

Xinyi Yan, Yongyang Yan, Mengyao Cao, Wenxuan Xie, Siobhán O'Connor, Jung Jae Lee, Mu-Hsing Ho. Effectiveness of virtual reality distraction interventions to reduce dental anxiety in paediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Dentistry, Volume 132, 2023, 104455, ISSN 0300-5712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2023.104455.

Keywords:

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Virtualrealityeffectivelymanagesanxietyamongpatientsundergoingrestorativeproceduresinferior alveolar nerve blockJournal of Dentistry

Source : Journal of Dentistry

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751