Nature vs. art: which virtual world calms dental patients best?
NCT ID NCT07819123
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
Researchers are testing whether the type of virtual reality content affects anxiety in adults undergoing surgical removal of an impacted wisdom tooth. Seventy-five patients with high dental anxiety are randomly assigned to view either nature scenes or an art gallery through a VR headset during surgery, or to receive standard care without VR. The study measures anxiety and physical stress markers before, during, and after the procedure to see if one VR content works better than the other.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- virtual reality content (nature-based or art-gallery)
- What this could lead to
- If one type of virtual reality content calms patients more than another, dentists could choose specific scenes to make wisdom tooth surgery less stressful without drugs.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is small and focuses on one type of dental surgery in anxious adults, so the results may not apply to other procedures or patients. Virtual reality may not help everyone, and some people may find the headset uncomfortable.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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75 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 40 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18 and 40 years * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I * Presence of an impacted mandibular third molar for which surgical removal was indicated * Pell and Gregory Class II, position B impaction * Vertical or mesioangular impaction according to Winter's classification * Preoperative Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) score of 11 or higher * Ability to understand the study procedures and complete the questionnaires * Provision of written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * A systemic or psychiatric condition considered likely to influence anxiety responses * Regular use of medication that could alter anxiety or autonomic responses * Use of antipsychotic or anxiolytic medication * Smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day * Previous surgical removal of an impacted tooth * Acute infection in the operative region * Pregnancy * Severe visual or hearing impairment that could prevent adequate virtual reality exposure * Inability to tolerate or correctly use the virtual reality headset * Surgical duration exceeding 30 minutes * Withdrawal of consent at any stage of the study
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Dentistry
Rize, Rize Province, 53020, Turkey (Türkiye)
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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