ArticleJMIR research protocols2023
Effects of a Virtual Reality Game on Children's Anxiety During Dental Procedures (VR-TOOTH): Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in JMIR research protocols, 2023. 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 3 papers.
What it found
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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
Beyond Distraction: Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Pain, Dental Fear, Behavioral Cooperation, and Parental Satisfaction During Pediatric Restorative Treatment-A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Odontophobia Across the Lifespan: Clinical Perspectives, Vulnerable Populations, and Inclusive Strategies for Dental Anxiety Management.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The role of artificial intelligence in diagnosing pediatric dental disorders-a narrative review.Frontiers in dental medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDental fear and anxiety (DFA) is a condition that affects approximately one-quarter of children and adolescents. It is a significant cause for pediatric patients to avoid dental care later in adulthood. Lack of patient cooperation due to DFA can create an environment of stress, often obligating dentists to end appointments prematurely and consider alternative pharmacological treatment options. Virtual reality (VR) use during dental care, providing an immersive experience through sensory stimuli, is potentially an additional nonpharmacologic tool to better manage DFA in children with special health care needs (SHCN) undergoing dental procedures.
objectiveThis pilot study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of VR immersion as a tool to reduce DFA in pediatric special needs patients undergoing dental procedures. The study also aims to gain insight on parent and health care provider perspectives on the use of VR during dental appointments.
methodsThis pilot randomized controlled trial study will follow a parallel design including 2 groups: a control group (clinic's standard care using a wall TV) and an experimental group (using a VR game). We will randomize 20 participants to either group. Recruitment will be carried out at the dental clinic of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, a tertiary-quaternary care center that mostly serves pediatric patients with SHCN. The primary outcome will be patient recruitment rates and completion rates of planned procedures. DFA in children will be assessed using both an observation-based proxy assessment with the Venham Anxiety and Behavior Rating Scale and physiological assessments using parameters such as change in heart rate and levels of salivary alpha-amylase as a stress biomarker before and 10 minutes after the procedure. Sociodemographic characteristics, measures of the levels of parent and health care professional satisfaction, occurrence of side effects, and any deviation from normal procedure length will also be collected. Descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, and effect sizes will be used for demographic and clinical variables and to present parent and health care professional satisfaction levels as well as procedural time.
resultsThis study will be conducted from May 2023 to May 2024, with results expected to be available in December 2024.
conclusionsThe pilot study will provide insight on the feasibility and acceptability of VR use in clinical dentistry to reduce DFA for pediatric patients with SHCN. This study will guide future research on VR use in pediatric dentistry and can serve as a framework for a larger randomized clinical trial.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05898100; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05898100. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/49956.
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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.