VR headset during teeth cleaning boosts Quit-Smoking efforts
NCT ID NCT04524533
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether showing smokers a virtual reality (VR) program during a dental cleaning appointment encourages them to use proven quit-smoking tools like counseling, nicotine patches, or text-message programs. About 440 cigarette smokers scheduled for a dental cleaning took part. The goal was to see if the VR experience increased their use of these treatments within 7 months.
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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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440 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2021
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- 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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Patient of the Boston University, Henry M Goldman School of Dental Medicine treatment center with an upcoming dental hygiene appointment (dental prophylaxis or scaling and root planing) * Self-reported smoking 100 cigarettes or more (not including e-cigarettes or vaping) in lifetime * Self-reported smoking any cigarette (not including e-cigarettes or vaping) in the preceding week * Self-reported cigarettes (not including e-cigarettes or vaping) 'some days', 'most days' or 'every day' in the preceding week * Is able to understand written and spoken study materials * Score of 'Never,' 'Rarely' or 'Sometimes' on the validated single-item literacy screener ("How often do you need to have someone help you when you read instructions, pamphlets, or other written material from your doctor, dentist, or pharmacy?") * Self-reported visual capacity to watch a video as indicated by the score 'Some difficulty' or 'No difficulty' to: "How much difficulty do you have with your vision, even when wearing glasses?" * Self-reported ability to wear headphones that are inserted partially inside the ear * Self-reported use of text messaging at least once in the preceding month * Self-reported access to necessary resources for intervention: Cell phone capable of text messaging * Live in Massachusetts * Stated willingness to comply with text message program procedures (receive and respond to text messages for 4-weeks) Exclusion Criteria: * Participation in another treatment or intervention study for smoking cessation or research involving text messaging * Current use of medications for smoking cessation or smoking reduction (nicotine replacement product, or non-nicotine medications) whether prescribed or not * Failure to complete the pre-dental clinic appointment procedure before the start of the dental appointment (opt-into the text message program and complete the baseline questionnaire) * Failure to show up to scheduled dental appointment at the clinic * Previous participation in the pilot phase * Could not watch video during dental appointment
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
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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Henry M Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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