THE USE OF VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY IN DENTAL MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER : A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL

Background: There is a limited number of studies addressing behavior management techniques for children with ADHD. Aim: To evaluate and compare the effect of virtual reality glasses as a distraction method versus conventional behavior management techniques on dental anxiety of children with ADHD and the time during preventive dental management. Materials and methods: A total of 32 children diagnosed with ADHD were enrolled in this study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups, VR glasses (test) and conventional behavior management techniques (control). The intervention was performed in two visits with one-week interval. The preventive procedures included oral examination and prophylaxis on the first visit and fissure sealant application on the second visit. The outcome measures were dental anxiety using the Faces Image Scale (FIS) and Pulse Rate (PR). Length of the procedure was recorded in minutes. Results: All children in the VR and control groups showed a significant reduction in FIS scores across the two visits (P=<0.001, 0.005 respectively). However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in the first and second visits (P=0.57, 0.56). The PR values didn’t differ significantly between the groups during examination, prophylaxis, and sealant (P= 0.22, 0.24,0.68). The length of the procedure didn’t differ significantly between the groups in both visits (P = 0.13,0.98). Conclusion: Virtual reality could be a valuable adjunctive method in the dental management of dental anxiety in children with ADHD during preventive dental procedures.