Virtual Reality Versus Monitor-Based Distraction in Children with Mild Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Comparative Observational Study.
Background/Objectives: Dental anxiety represents a significant barrier to oral care in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), whose sensory sensitivities and behavioral challenges often complicate clinical management and limit access to treatment. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a su...
| Publicado en: | Children Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 437 - 450 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , |
| Formato: | pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
MDPI
Mar2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=192664000&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 192664000 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 22279067 LW6K jtl: Children issn: 22279067 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Mar2026 vid: 13 iid: 3 pid: 97109 pub: MDPI artinfo: ui: 192664000 192664000 192664000 10.3390/children13030437 192664000 ppf: 437 ppct: 13 formats: tig: atl: Virtual Reality Versus Monitor-Based Distraction in Children with Mild Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Comparative Observational Study. aug: au: Fallea, Antonio Treccarichi, Simone L'Episcopo, Simona Bartolone, Massimiliano Vetri, Luigi Vinci, Mirella Ferri, Raffaele Calì, Francesco affil: Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy sug: subj: Virtual Reality Utilization Distraction Utilization Computer Peripherals Utilization Severity of Illness Intellectual Disability In Infancy and Childhood Treatment Outcomes Motion Pictures Dental Care for Disabled Human Comparative Studies Nonexperimental Studies Prospective Studies Infant Adolescence Descriptive Statistics Odds Ratio Confidence Intervals Relative Risk Sex Factors Male Female Multiple Logistic Regression Scales Funding Source Data Analysis Software Chi Square Test Fisher's Exact Test T-Tests Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test Post Hoc Analysis Dental Anxiety Prevention and Control Infant: 1-23 months Adolescent: 13-18 years Male Female ab: Background/Objectives: Dental anxiety represents a significant barrier to oral care in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), whose sensory sensitivities and behavioral challenges often complicate clinical management and limit access to treatment. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a supportive tool to improve the feasibility of dental procedures in this vulnerable population. This study aims to evaluate whether a VR-based distraction approach could facilitate the completion of dental treatment in children with mild intellectual disability (ID). Methods: A prospective comparative observational study was conducted between February and September 2025 involving 56 children aged 11–15 years with mild ID and moderate dental anxiety (Corah Dental Anxiety Scale, DAS: 9–12). Participants were allocated to two groups of distraction approaches—VR distraction (n = 28) using the Oculus Quest 3® headset or a monitor-based cartoon (n = 28)—according to device availability and to maintain balanced group sizes. The primary outcome was treatment success, defined as completion of the restorative dental procedure under local anesthesia within 50 min. Results: Treatment success was achieved in 78.6% of the VR group versus 46.4% of the monitor group (p = 0.026). The odds of successful treatment were more than four times higher with VR compared to monitor distraction (OR 4.12; 95% CI: 1.16–16.47), with a risk ratio of 2.50 (95% CI: 1.14–5.50). Stratified analysis suggested a stronger effect in females (OR 12.25; 95% CI: 1.27–118.36) than in males (OR 2.56; 95% CI: 0.53–12.43). Conclusions: VR-based distraction significantly improved dental treatment success in children with mild ID compared with conventional distraction. Although gender differences were observed, they should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size. This work lays the foundation for developing both short- and long-term protocols to facilitate dental treatment management and cooperation in patients with NDDs. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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