Role of Virtual Reality in Pain Perception of Patients Following the Administration of Local Anesthesia

BACKGROUND: Dental anxiety and anxiety-related avoidance of dental care creates significant problems for the patients and dental practitioners. Administration of local anesthesia is one of the procedures which results in increased anxiety level among patients. AIM: The aim of this study was to study the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) as a distraction tool during the administration of local anesthesia in patients undergoing a dental procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients were randomized into two groups, namely, control group (n = 25) and study group (n = 25). Preoperative, intra-operative, and postoperative pulse rate and oxygen saturation were measured using pulse oximeter for all the patients. Local anesthesia was administered without the use of VR for the control group and with the VR for the study group. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were evaluated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 20. Student's t-test was used to compare the variables. RESULTS: Statistically significant results were obtained for preoperative and postoperative oxygen saturation, intraoperative pulse rate, and postoperative visual analog scale pain scale. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study indicate that immersive VR is an effective distraction tool to alleviate the anxiety of the patient.