Visiting the dentist for many people is a real nightmare. Despite the fact that modern anesthetics allow to almost completely eliminate any unpleasant feelings during the treatment of teeth, many are still afraid to visit dental clinics for various reasons. A team of scientists from the UK conducted an interesting study came to an interesting conclusion. It turns out that with the help of virtual reality helmet and special software you can significantly reduce the fear of dental treatment and even drown out the pain.
In the experiment involved 80 subjects, divided into three test groups. Each subject was in need of dental treatment. The first two groups of patients were given virtual reality headsets, but the third group headsets not got. Inside virtual reality, the subjects traveled to the beach or explored the virtual city. The third group just stared at the ceiling of a dentist’s office and saw the doctor, who is engaged in their teeth. All subjects were carefully interviewed immediately after the completion of dental procedures. Then they were questioned again a week later.
People who lived in the treatment process inside a virtual reality, admitted that they experienced significantly less stress and pain than the members of the third control group. And comfortable of all was that subjects who spent time at the beach. Virtual city contributed less to reducing stress, rather than a seascape. Scientists were surprised by the results, so in the nearest future I plan to hold several similar studies. If the results are repeated, it may well be that in the future, many dental offices will appear in VR-equipment. The results of the study were published in the journal Environment and Behavior.
Virtual reality will help to overcome the fear of dentists
Sergey Grey