The effects of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) to treat dental anxiety

Evaluation and comparison of the effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) with an information pamphlet in management of Dental Anxiety patients

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN25824611

Enrollment

Registered

2015-10-26

Start date

2015-10-28

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2022-11-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dental anxiety Mental and Behavioural Disorders Dental anxiety

Interventions

Thirty participants undergo block randomization so that we have equal distribution of participants in both the groups. In order to preserve the allocation concealment, sealed, opaque, sequentially num

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged between 18 and 60 years 2. Patients meeting the DSM-4 diagnostic criteria of dental phobia 3. In need of a dental treatment with a planned maximum treatment length of 30 minutes

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Stereoblindness 2. Known other mental disorders such as psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, developmental or intellectual disability and cognitive impairment 3. Hearing impairment 4. Visual impairment 5. Nystagmus 6. Known balance disorders such as vertigo and cybersickness 7. Patients with previous history of epileptic seizures 8. Any history of cardiac problems 9. Patients who are undergoing/have undergone any cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based intervention 10. Language impediment (cannot understand English) 11. Patients wearing glasses of greater than plus 3.5 power

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Dental anxiety measured using Visual Analogue Scale-Anxiety (VAS-A), Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS) questionnaires at baseline, after the intervention, 1 week, 3 months and 6 months follow-up.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Avoidance measured using a behavioral test, consisting of observations and an interview asking participants to rate their level of anxiety from 0-10, before and after intervention 2. Physiological arousal measured by recording the heart rate continuously during the VRET session 3. VR-experience measured with questionnaires (presence, sensation of vomiting, intention to use VR googles in the future and about their intention to revisit dental surgery) immediately after the VRET session	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Avoidance measured using a behavioral test, consisting of observations and an interview asking participants to rate their level of anxiety from 0-10, before and after intervention 2. Physiological arousal measured by recording the heart rate continuously during the VRET session 3. VR-experience measured with questionnaires (presence, sensation of vomiting, intention to use VR googles in the future and about their intention to revisit dental surgery) immediately after the VRET session

—

Countries

Malaysia

Contacts

Public ContactKumar Raghav Gujjar

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 14, 2026