DISTRACTION USING VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY: A REVIEW

ABSTRACT: People who are highly anxious about undergoing dental treatment are reported to be one in seven of the population. Such kinds of patients require careful and considerate management by dental practitioners. Dental practitioners have numerous methods to control anxiety and pain in children, adults and distracting them appears to be the most common technique used for behavior management during dental procedures. This review focuses on the application of technologically advanced method of virtual reality (VR), which enables individuals to immerse themselves in a virtual world. Thus VR creates a nonpharmacological form of analgesia by changing the activity of the body’s intricate pain modulation system and reducing dental anxiety in the dental office. CONCLUSION: VR is a viable technique and is effective in majority of patients; still much research needs to be done to obtain a clearer picture. KEYWORDS: Distraction, Virtual Reality, Anxiety