Assessment of Color Perception and Preference with Eye-Tracking Analysis in a Dental Treatment Environment

Nowadays, medical facilities are developing their treatment environment to provide better services to their patients. In particular, dental hospitals have been considered uncomfortable and uninviting spaces, which needs to change so that people can visit easily and feel more relaxed. However, only a few systematic studies have reported on the demand for building a comfortable space. This study aimed to investigate gaze characteristics based on a color preference survey of the dental unit chair, which has the most influence on spatial perception in the dental treatment environment, using an eye tracking technique for color. The results of this study showed that the color perception by eye tracking and the color preference by survey did not tend to match. The color most viewed by a majority of subjects was pink, which attracted a high level of attention, regardless of personal preference. In addition, for the psychological color images associated with color preference, the subjects tended to prefer images such as warmth, friendliness, and calmness. This appeared to reflect the psychology of the subjects who wished to replace their feelings of anxiety or fear when going to the dental hospital with comfort and tranquility. Therefore, colors that can provide comfort and tranquility to patients should be considered first as visual elements (e.g., brown) in creating a dental treatment environment.