The following is a summary of “Clinical effects of different virtual reality presentation content on anxiety and pain: a randomized controlled trial,” published in the November 2023 issue of Pain by Yamashita et al.

To mitigate patient anxiety during oral surgical procedures, the researchers explored the potential of virtual reality (VR) technology. Previous findings demonstrated that VR is effective in reducing anxiety, but its effectiveness varied across individuals. This investigation sought to discern whether different VR content influenced anxiety reduction and pain alleviation during procedures. 

Study participants underwent one of two VR presentations and completed a questionnaire assessing changes in anxiety using a visual analog scale (VAS). Additionally, the study group objectively measured changes in pain threshold with PainVision. Individuals exposed to a natural landscape VR presentation showed a mean VAS score reduction of − 13.3 ± 28.7 mm, whereas those experiencing a video game presentation exhibited an even greater reduction of − 22.2 ± 32.1 mm. 

Notably, about 70% of participants who underwent the video game presentations reported diminished pain in a follow-up questionnaire. Furthermore, an objective pain threshold assessment revealed that while the natural landscape VR presentation marginally increased the pain threshold by approximately 3%, the video game presentation notably elevated it by around 15% compared to baseline levels. These outcomes highlight how the content of the VR presentation not only influenced the rate of anxiety reduction but also impacted pain threshold perception.

Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-023-47764-8