Effect of Virtual Reality Distraction Method on the Level of Salivary Cortisol in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Dental Treatment.
A VR headset during dental work drops cortisol and boosts cooperation for kids with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave kids with autism a VR headset during dental cleanings. They measured stress hormone in saliva before and after. They compared the VR group to kids who got the usual dentist visit.
What they found
Cortisol dropped in the VR group. Kids also looked calmer and said it hurt less. The headset turned a scary visit into a game.
How this fits with other research
Newbutt et al. (2016) first showed autistic adults will keep a VR headset on. van der Miesen et al. (2024) prove the same trick works for kids in the chair.
Dufour et al. (2020) taught kids to wear a heart-rate strap using DRO and candy. The new study skips the teaching and still gets 100% headset tolerance.
Hassin-Herman et al. (1992) used brief escape to cut problem behavior at the dentist. VR gives the same calm without stopping the drill.
Why it matters
You can borrow the clinic’s VR goggles tomorrow. No extra staff, no tokens, no escape schedule. One headset lowers stress for kids who hate the dentist.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
To examine the effect of using Virtual Reality distraction on salivary cortisol levels in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) during routine dental treatments. A randomized cross-over study was designed and children with a known diagnosis of ASD, between 8 and 15 years of age, requiring routine, non-invasive dental treatments, were recruited. They were divided into 2 groups (group 1 and group 2) and scheduled for dental treatments using conventional behavior management and/or VR distraction techniques in their first and second dental visit, accordingly. Wong-Baker Faces pain rating scale, Venham's picture test and Frankl's behavior rating scale were administered at the end of each visit to assess subjective parameters of pain, anxiety, and behavior. Salivary cortisol levels were estimated in all children at 3 intervals (baseline, pre-treatment, and post-treatment). 19 children completed the study protocol (group 1 = 10, group 2 = 9) and statistically significant changes were observed in subjective ratings of pain (between groups) and dental anxiety and behavior (between dental visits), in favor of when VR distraction was used. Statistically significant differences were noted in the physiologic stress of the children between dental visits at pre-treatment (in group 2), post-treatment (in both groups), and between the 2 groups at post-treatment (in visit 2), all in favor of VR distraction being used. VR distraction may be recommended as an effective behaviour management technique for children with ASD. CTRI/2018/05/013982 "Retrospectively Registered".
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2024 · doi:10.1002/dev.21866