• Sabha Mahmoud Alshatrat, Rasha Alotaibi, Michele Sirois, and Zain Malkawi.
• Department of Applied Dental Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
• Int J Dent Hyg. 2019 Feb 1; 17 (1): 71-76.

ObjectiveTo identify the effect of immersive virtual reality (VR) on pain perception during scaling and root planing procedures (SRP) in dental hygiene clinic.MethodsParticipants were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Within-subject/split-mouth design was used in this study. The participants received a full mouth SRP. The participants were divided into two treatment conditions: (a) without VR condition or (b) with VR condition. Blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR) were measured. Level of pain was measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Participants gave ratings using 0-10 scales with cut points on the scale indicating that (0) none, (1-3) mild, (4-6) moderate or (7-10) severe. Participants were also asked three questions to assess presence, realism and nausea. The immersive virtual environment used for this study was nonviolent and inoffensive.ResultsData were analysed using SPSS® software. Fifty subjects with a mean age of 36 years completed the study. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that VAS scores were significantly (P = < 0.05) lower during VR compared without VR condition. Paired t test revealed that on average, participants experienced significantly lower systolic Bp after using VR (M = 113.72, SE = 2.16) than systolic Bp after treatment without VR However, Bp (diastolic) and PR showed no difference. 84% of the participants felt like they went inside the virtual world, 82% felt that the virtual objects seem real to them, and 94% did not feel nausea. 98% of the participants preferred using VR during SRP.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that the immersive VR has the potential in becoming a future method for pain control during scaling and root planing procedures.© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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