Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07636330

Virtual Reality for Pain and Anxiety in Pediatric Dental Treatment

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether immersive virtual reality (VR) reduces pain and anxiety in children aged 6-12 years during routine dental procedures. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does VR distraction reduce self-reported pain and anxiety during dental treatment compared to standard behaviour guidance? * Does VR distraction improve children's post-procedural experience and willingness to return for future dental visits?

Researchers will compare children using a VR headset during dental treatment to children receiving standard behaviour guidance techniques.

Participants will:

* Attend one routine dental appointment * Be randomly assigned to wear a VR headset or receive standard care during their procedure * Complete brief questionnaires about pain and anxiety before and after treatment * Receive a follow-up phone call 24-72 hours after the appointment

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Dental Anxiety in Children Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pain, Procedural Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

6 year–12 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UBC Graduate Pediatric Dental Clinic

Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada

Location contact

Randa Soussou

CONTACT

[email protected]

604-822- 6819

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Children aged 6 to 12 years
  • Scheduled for a routine invasive dental procedure
  • Accompanied by a parent or legal guardian
  • Parent/guardian able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Children with visual or hearing impairments that would prevent use of the VR headset
  • Children with a history of motion sickness
  • Children with severe cognitive or developmental delays that would prevent completion of study measures
  • Children who have previously participated in this study
  • Children requiring emergency dental treatment

Treatment and study plan

Immersive Virtual Reality Headset

Device

A commercially available immersive VR headset used as a non-pharmacological distraction tool during routine pediatric dental procedures. Children wear the headset throughout their treatment to engage with an interactive virtual environment designed to reduce pain and anxiety.

Standard Behaviour Guidance

Behavioral

Standard behaviour guidance techniques routinely used in pediatric dentistry, including tell-show-do, positive reinforcement, and distraction through verbal communication and a TV screen. No virtual reality headset is used.

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-Reported Pain During Dental Procedure Using Faces Pain Scale

    Time frame: Baseline Pre-procedural and Immediately following the dental procedure (same day)

    Child self-reported pain assessed using the Faces Pain Scale (0-10 where 10 is the maximum pain felt): The child is asked to point to the Faces picture that reflect the pain level that they are feeling. 0= Relaxed and comfortable; 2-4= Mild discomfort; 6-8= Moderate pain; 10= Severe pain or discomfort Baseline pre-procedural and immediately following the dental procedure.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Physiological Stress Response (Salivary alpha-Amylase) salivary alpha-amylase level (U/L) baseline before any dental treatment and immediately following the dental procedure

    Time frame: Salivary alpha-amylase level (U/L), measured at baseline (immediately prior to the start of the dental procedure) and again immediately following the dental procedure. Both samples are collected on the same day, during the single dental appointment.

    Using a swab to collect for a full 60-90 seconds by resting the swab inside the mouth, or collect in intervals by re-introducing the swab into the mouth as needed, until the lower third of the swab is saturated (some participants may require longer than 90 seconds of total collection time). Salivary alpha-amylase level (U/L), measured at baseline (immediately prior to the start of the dental procedure) and again immediately following the dental procedure. Both samples are collected on the same day, during the single dental appointment.

  2. Physiological Stress Response (Heart Rate)

    Time frame: Baseline (Before the procedure), during and Immediately following the dental procedure

    Physiological markers of stress assessed via heart rate using a pulse oximeter device (pulse/minute)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Randa Soussou

CONTACT

[email protected]

604-822-6819

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of British Columbia

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Pain, Anxiety, and Post-Procedural Experience in Pediatric Dental Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jun 9, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 2, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.