Albaal M, Bshara N
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.
Eur Arch Paediatr Dent. 2025 Sep 18. doi: 10.1007/s40368-025-01113-7.
This study evaluated augmented reality (AR) headsets' effectiveness in reducing anxiety and pain in children (7-9 years) during intraoral injections.
One hundred eight children were randomized to four groups: Control (cartoons on a mobile device during injection), Group A (cartoons via AR headset during injection), Group B (AR games before being transported to the dental chair), and Group C (AR games before plus cartoons during injection). Anxiety was assessed by Venham's Picture Test (VPT) and heart rate (HR) monitoring; pain was measured with the FLACC Behavioral Pain Assessment Scale and the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale.
Post-injection, VPT mean ranks were significantly lower in Groups A (46.59), B (42.83), and C (40.41) compared to the Control group (65.17; P < 0.05). HR monitoring revealed a significant increase during injection in the Control group (107.6 ± 15.7 bpm) and Group A (106.6 ± 13.2 bpm) compared with Groups B (94.7 ± 8.0 bpm) and C (91.4 ± 9.8 bpm; P < 0.05). Severe pain (WBF score ≥ 8) was reported by 18.5% in the Control group versus none in the test groups (P < 0.05). Similarly, FLACC scores indicated the highest discomfort in the Control group, with no severe discomfort observed in Groups A, B, or C (P < 0.05).
AR headsets significantly reduce injection-related anxiety and eliminate severe pain behaviors in children, providing pediatric dental practitioners with a low-cost, easily implemented tool to enhance patient comfort and cooperation. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06724341).
本研究评估了增强现实（AR）头显在减轻儿童（7至9岁）口腔内注射时的焦虑和疼痛方面的有效性。
108名儿童被随机分为四组：对照组（注射期间在移动设备上播放卡通片）、A组（注射期间通过AR头显观看卡通片）、B组（在被送往牙科椅之前玩AR游戏）和C组（在被送往牙科椅之前玩AR游戏，且注射期间观看卡通片）。通过韦纳姆图片测试（VPT）和心率（HR）监测评估焦虑；使用面部表情疼痛评分量表（FLACC）和面部表情疼痛评分量表（Wong-Baker FACES）测量疼痛。
注射后，与对照组（65.17）相比，A组（46.59）、B组（42.83）和C组（40.41）的VPT平均秩显著更低（P < 0.05）。心率监测显示，与B组（94.7 ± 8.0次/分钟）和C组（91.4 ± 9.8次/分钟）相比，对照组（107.6 ± 15.7次/分钟）和A组（106.6 ± 13.2次/分钟）在注射期间心率显著增加（P < 0.05）。对照组中有18.5%的儿童报告有严重疼痛（WBF评分≥8），而测试组中无一人报告（P < 0.05）。同样，FLACC评分显示对照组的不适感最高，A组、B组或C组均未观察到严重不适（P < 0.05）。
AR头显可显著减轻儿童与注射相关的焦虑，并消除严重的疼痛行为，为儿科牙科医生提供了一种低成本、易于实施的工具，以提高患者的舒适度和合作度。该研究已在ClinicalTrials.gov注册（NCT06724341）。
