SynthesisBMC oral health2021
A systematic review of the use of virtual reality or dental smartphone applications as interventions for management of paediatric dental anxiety.
Synthesis in BMC oral health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 41 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of The Virtual Reality "Dream" Game on Anxiety During Dental Procedures in Children (VR-TOOTH): A Pilot Randomized, Controlled Trial
The Effects of A Virtual Reality Game on Anxiety During Dental Procedures in Children (VR-TOOTH): A Randomized, Controlled Trial Protocol
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Non-pharmacological and physical strategies for managing dental anxiety: a systematic review with implications for dental education.Public health reviews · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review and narrative synthesis of evidence from randomised controlled trials: the impact of behaviour guidance techniques on dental anxiety in paediatric patients.BMC oral health · 2025Pooled it
- Equity implications of extended reality technologies for health and procedural anxiety: a systematic review and implementation-focused framework.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2025Pooled it
- Digital Health Interventions to Improve Mental Health in Patients With Cancer: Umbrella Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- The biomechanical effects of clear aligner trimline designs and extensions on orthodontic tooth movement: a systematic review.BMC oral health · 2024Pooled it
- Teledentistry Applied to Health and Education Outcomes: Evidence Gap Map.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of a game-based intervention on preoperative pain and anxiety in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of clinical nursing · 2022Pooled it
- Evaluating the use of augmented reality in alleviating anxiety and pain in children during intraoral injection administration: a randomized-controlled trial.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026Trial
- Effect of Virtual Reality Distraction Method on the Level of Salivary Cortisol in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Dental Treatment.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Trial
- The evaluation of different information methods on behaviour and anxiety levels of children aged 6 to 9 years: a randomised controlled trial.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2025Trial
- Effects of preoperative education using virtual reality on preoperative anxiety and information desire: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of clinical monitoring and computing · 2023Trial
- Clinical evaluation of feasibility and effectiveness using a virtual reality device during local anesthesia and extractions in pediatric patients.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2023Trial
- Virtual Reality Versus Monitor-Based Distraction in Children with Mild Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Comparative Observational Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- Anxiety-Free Public Dentistry for Adults With Disabilities by Using Head-Mounted Virtual Reality Technology: Protocol for a Feasibility Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Game on Children's Fear and Anxiety During Dental Procedures (VR-TOOTH): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Conceptualization of Digital Platforms Within Cancer Communication: A Review of Barriers and Drivers of Online Tools to Empower Children and Adolescents with Cancer to Understand Their Disease.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Review
- Beyond failure: a case report on brain state changes during virtual reality-induced hypnosis in pediatric patient.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Oral health care and mobile ownership in Chinese seniors: CHARLS findings.Frontiers in oral health · 2025Article
- Extended Reality Analgesia Evidence Reviews Often Lack Sufficient Intervention Detail.Journal of medical extended reality · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVirtual reality (VR) has been used successfully in medicine both as a distraction tool during procedures, and as an acclimatisation tool to prepare for a procedure or experience. It has not yet become widely used in dentistry, but could theoretically have a role in exposure-based acclimatisation for dental experiences.
methodsTo examine the use of VR or bespoke dental smartphone applications pre- or perioperatively in dentistry, to decrease anxiety in a paediatric population attending for dental examination or treatment, compared with children/adolescents who receive no intervention, or more conventional behavioural management techniques. Searches were made of eight electronic databases: the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE(PubMed), EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science. Further searches reference cross-checks were performed to identify studies that were not discovered online.
resultsSystematic reviews and randomised control trials have demonstrated the successful use of VR to both distract patients perioperatively during medical procedures, and also preoperatively to prepare them for these interventions. However, to date, VR has only been applied to dentistry in a very limited number of studies. Three studies using virtual reality in a dental setting demonstrated decreased pain and anxiety compared with no intervention. All three of these studies were carried out in the perioperative period. A fourth study used a bespoke dental app and imagery to prepare patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for dental treatment, finding statistically significant decreases in both the number of appointments and number of attempts required to carry out a procedure.
conclusionVR is a promising tool which to date has been under-utilised in dentistry. High quality, clinical studies are required to assess the use of preoperative VR and smartphone applications to prepare patients for dental examination and procedures under local or general anaesthetic.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.