Effectiveness of virtual reality glasses versus white noise on dental anxiety in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A randomised controlled clinical trial.

Background: Management of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be challenging due to their disruptive behaviour. Basic behaviour management techniques (BMTs) may not be sufficient, and adjunctive strategies such as virtual reality (VR) glasses or white noise can be employed.

Aim: To assess and compare the effectiveness of VR, white noise and basic BMTs on dental anxiety and behaviour of children with ADHD.

Design: Forty-eight children with ADHD were recruited for this parallel, three-armed randomised controlled clinical trial, which involved three visits at one-week intervals, including examination, preventive measures and restorations. Children were randomly divided into three groups: VR, white noise and basic BMTs. Outcome measures were Faces Image Scale (FIS), Heart Rate (HR) and Venham's Behaviour Rating Scale (VBRS).

Results: No significant difference was found between the groups in FIS scores. White noise group had a significantly lower mean HR than control group in all visits. Scores of VBRS in VR and white noise groups were significantly lower than those in the control group during the restorative visit.

Conclusions: VR and white noise could be beneficial in managing dental anxiety and improving behaviour in children with ADHD and could be used as adjunctive strategies to basic BMTs.