(PO-202) Virtual Reality in Dental Hygiene: A Systematic Review

Author: Stacey McKinney, McKinney, RDH, MSEd – Assistant Professor, SIUC Dental Hygiene
Author: Sandra K. Collins, MBA, PhD. – Professor, SIUC Health Care Management
Submitter: Stacey McKinney, McKinney, RDH, MSEd – Assistant Professor, SIUC Dental Hygiene

Objectives:

1. Describe various methods in utilization of virtual reality during dental hygiene appointments

2. Discuss modes in delivery of education through virtual reality

3. Assess the need for further research incorporating virtual reality in dental education





Method: An electronic search of the literature was conduced and included PubMed, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source (EBSCO), and CINAHL for articles published from January 2000 to July 2021 pertaining to virtual reality (VR) used in a dental hygiene educational or clinical setting. The search strategy of databases used keywords and MeSH terms for virtual reality, augmented reality, dental hygiene education, and dental fear. The search was limited to peer-reviewed journals and articles were included if they met the criteria of availability in full-text and English. Additionally, grey literature was searched through Google and Google Scholar.



Results: Results were organized based on two settings: educational and clinical. In educational settings, VR using the Promethean Dental System or other Haptic-3D virtual reality training simulators aid in promoting students’ understanding of dental practices and increase their clinical performance when provided in early stages of training. VR can also aid in the two major issues facing dental education, shortage of faculty and overloaded dental curriculum. Clinically, VR is a feasible, patient-accepted, inexpensive tool that can be used preoperatively to reduce anticipatory dental anxiety. It has also show to be effective in anxiety reduction during injections and periodontal procedures.



Conclusion: This systematic review revealed a lack of research regarding virtual reality used in dental hygiene educational and clinical setting. Additional current research is needed to leverage the pace of learning in utilizing multiple modes of teaching. Virtual reality intervention used in a clinical dental setting can reduce anxiety and is effective in pain management during periodontal procedures, although further exploration of this topic is warranted.