Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34425901›Full record

Trial reportTrials2021

Application of virtual reality on non-drug behavioral management of short-term dental procedure in children.

Longkuan Ran, Nan Zhao, Lin Fan, Pinping Zhou, Chao Zhang, Cong Yu

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
8.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The influence of immersive tools on children's dental anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026
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  8. 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 · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Longkuan Ran *Department of Anesthesiology, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Nan Zhao *Department of Anesthesiology, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Lin FanDepartment of Anesthesiology, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Pinping ZhouDepartment of Anesthesiology, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Chao ZhangDepartment of Anesthesiology, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Cong YuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. 500158@hospital.cqmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1957-574X
Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University · CNChongqing University · CN

Funding

Chongqing Municipal Public Health Bureau, Chongqing People's Municipal Government 2017ZDXM017
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDue to the inherent characteristics of immersion, imagination, and interactivity in virtual reality (VR), it might be suitable for non-drug behavior management of children in dental clinics. The purpose of this trial was to measure the role of VR distraction on behavior management in short-term dental procedures in children.

methodsA randomized clinical trial design was carried out on 120 children aged between 4 and 8 years to identify the comparative efficacy of VR and tell-show-do (TSD) to improve behavioral management during dental procedures. The primary outcomes were evaluated anxiety, pain, and compliance scores in perioperative children. The levels of operative anxiety and pain were assessed using the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and Wong Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFS), respectively. The Frankl Behavior Rating Scale (FBRS) was tested before and during dental procedures. The length of the dental procedure was compared between both groups after treatment.

resultsThe average anxiety and behavioral scores of the VR group significantly reduced compared with the control. The decreased anxiety score for the VR group and control group were 8 (7, 11) and 5 (5, 7), p < 0.05. The compliance scores of the control group during treatment were 3 (2, 3), and the same in the VR intervention were 3 (3, 4), p = 0.02. A significant reduction in pain was observed when using VR distraction (p < 0.05). Comparing the length of the dental procedure, the VR group (19.0 2 ± 5.32 min) had a shorter treatment time than the control group (27.80 ± 10.40 min).

conclusionThe use of VR significantly reduced the anxiety and pain of children and the length of the dental procedure and improved the compliance of children that underwent short-term dental procedures without an adverse reaction.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000029802 . Registered on February 14, 2020.

Indexed as

Virtual RealityAnxiety DisordersChildChild, PreschoolDentistryHumansPainPain MeasurementDental anxietyPainShort-term dental procedureVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID34425901
PMCPMC8381489
OpenAlexW3163952552

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Registered trials

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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.