Virtual Reality Storytelling Versus Storybook Reading for Dental Anxiety in Children
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age6-10
SponsorKing Abdulaziz University
About this trial
Many children feel anxious before dental treatment. This study compares two ways of helping children feel calmer while waiting for their dental visit: watching a dental story through virtual reality (VR) glasses, or listening to the same story read aloud by the dentist from a printed storybook. The story is in Arabic and follows a girl named Amira during her first dental visit. The story is identical in both groups, so the only difference is how it is delivered. Healthy children aged 6 to 10 years will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. The main outcome is the child's heart rate, measured before and after the story as an objective sign of anxiety. Children's dental fear will also be assessed with two child-friendly scales, and parents' own dental anxiety will be measured to see whether it is related to their child's anxiety. The study aims to find out whether VR storytelling differs from a traditional storybook in its effect on children's anxiety before dental treatment.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Aged 6-10 years
Healthy, physically and mentally (ASA I)
Arabic-speaking parents and children
Disqualifiers
Children younger than 6 or older than 10
Non-ASA I Children
Children with conditions that contraindicate VR experience, such as developmental or sensory disorders.
Acute illness that might affect HR reading or anxiety
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Virtual Reality Storytelling
BehavioralChildren watch a digital animated story (Arabic, about a girl named Amira on her first dental visit) through VR glasses during the waiting period, before dental treatment
Traditional Storybook Reading
BehavioralThe dentist reads aloud the same story (same storyline, narration, dialogue, characters, and sequence of events) from the printed storybook during the waiting period, before dental treatment.
Treatment groups
108 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: VR StorytellingExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Storybook ReadingActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Heart Rate
Heart rate will be measured in beats per minute (bpm). Measurements will be obtained at baseline before the assigned storytelling intervention and again after the intervention while the child is seated in the dental chair immediately before the dental procedure begins. The post-intervention heart rate will be compared between the virtual reality storytelling and traditional storybook groups.
Time frame
Immediately after the intervention, before the dental procedure beginsSecondary outcomes
1
Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS)
The CFSS-DS is a 15-item questionnaire used to assess children's dental fear. Each item is scored from 1 ("not afraid at all") to 5 ("very afraid"), producing a total score ranging from 15 to 75. Higher scores indicate greater dental fear. CFSS-DS will be assessed before and immediately after the assigned intervention.
Time frame
Immediately after the intervention, before the dental procedure begins2
Facial Image Scale (FIS)
The Facial Image Scale is a child-friendly visual measure of situational dental anxiety consisting of five faces ranging from very happy to very unhappy. Scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater situational anxiety. FIS will be assessed before and immediately after the assigned intervention.
Time frame
Immediately after the intervention, before the dental procedure beginsSponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov