Effectiveness of Visual Distraction with and without Virtual Reality Glasses in Reducing Dental Anxiety among Children with Hearing and Speech Disability: A Pilot Study
Aim and objective: To assess the effectiveness of visual distraction with and without virtual reality glasses in reducing dental anxiety among children with hearing and speech disabilities undergoing dental treatment.
Materials and methods: Twenty-four children with hearing and speech disabilities aged 6–12 years were selected and were randomly divided into three groups (N = 8). Children in group A received no distraction, group B received visual distraction using virtual reality (VR) glasses and group C received visual distraction without VR glasses during dental treatment. The anxiety levels were measured using PJS- Pictorial Scale and physiological parameters - before, during, and after a dental procedure. Then intragroup and intergroup comparison was done.
Results: Intragroup comparison showed that "During" and "Post" treatment anxiety scores were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of "baseline" in group B. Intergroup comparison of anxiety scores in the three groups, at all three intervals, showed a statistically significant difference in the “during treatment” anxiety score (p = 0.049) with least score in group B.
Conclusion: Visual distraction using VR glasses can be recommended as an effective distraction technique in reducing dental anxiety among children with speech and hearing disabilities.
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