Use of Video Eyewear to Manage Distress in Children During Restorative Dental Treatment

2011

Wrap-around video eyewear has shown promise as a distraction device for reducing distress during some medical procedures. This is the first study to evaluate video eyewear with children undergoing restorative dental treatment. Participants ranging in age from 5-16 were recruited from a continuous sample of patients seen in an urban dental clinic. Direct observations of distress, self-report measures of pain, and patient satisfaction were obtained in a RCT comparing wrap-around video eyewear and sunglasses. ANCOVA, using treatment condition (control vs. experimental) as the primary independent variable and controlling for the effects of age, found that children wearing the video eyewear glasses demonstrated significantly less disruptive behavior than those in the control group (p < .01) and that they liked their eyewear significantly better than those wearing the regular sunglasses (p < .01). Wrap-around video eyewear can be a relatively cost-effective approach to managing distress in children undergoing restorative dental treatment.

Conference presentations and posters presented

Consumers/Families, Professionals, Students

N/A