Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Goggles as Distraction for Children in Dental Care—A Narrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: One of the main challenges in pediatric dentistry is to provide a favorable experience to the patient, and the success of the treatment depends on this to a large extent. For this reason, multiple methods have arisen, among which are virtual reality glasses, that try to facilitate the management of behavior in the dental office by reducing the dental anxiety of patients. Objectives: The effectiveness of the use of virtual reality glasses as a distraction in pediatric dentistry was studied. In addition, a bibliographic review was performed to determine whether the use of virtual reality reduces anxiety and improves the behavior of children during their dental consultations and dental treatments. Methodology: To obtain the information, we performed a bibliographic review using electronic bibliographic sources from scientific databases, high-impact journals and specialized search engines. Results and Discussion: It is relatively easy to obtain information on the level of dental anxiety of the child patient by means of different scales and the use of a digital pulse oximeter, which helps us to know the effectiveness of the use of virtual reality glasses at the time of the dental procedure. The greatest controversy is found in cases in which it is not possible to adjust them because of the age and size of the child or because of the personal use of glasses. Conclusions: There are multiple studies that confirm the effectiveness of the use of virtual reality glasses as a distraction in pediatric dentistry, and these studies support the effectiveness of virtual reality glasses in reducing dental anxiety and improving the behavior of patients during their consultations and dental treatments.