Virtual Reality During Periodontal Frenectomy

NCT07760987 — Not applicable, Not yet recruiting, 70 participants, Muhammed Emin Kalender

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Evaluation of the Effects of Virtual Reality Application on Anxiety, Pain, and Physiological Stress Responses During Periodontal Frenectomy

Registry	NCT07760987, acronym VRFren
Status	Not yet recruiting
Phase	Not applicable
Study type	Interventional; randomized, parallel, masking: single, supportive care
Enrollment	70 (Estimated)
Sponsor	Muhammed Emin Kalender (Other); collaborators: Bilecik Seyh Edebali Universitesi
Conditions	Dental Anxiety, Frenectomy, Virtual Reality
Interventions	Virtual Reality-Based Audiovisual Distraction, Standard Periodontal Frenectomy (Behavioral, procedure)
Dates	start 2026-09-01 (estimated), primary completion 2027-02-01 (estimated), completion 2027-08-01 (estimated), first posted 2026-08-12, last updated 2026-08-12
Locations	1 site in Turkey (Türkiye)

-Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether virtual reality can reduce anxiety, pain, and physiological stress responses during periodontal frenectomy in adults who need this surgical procedure.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does virtual reality reduce anxiety before and after periodontal frenectomy? Does virtual reality reduce pain during and after the procedure? Does virtual reality have a favorable effect on physiological stress responses such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation? Does virtual reality affect surgical process-related outcomes and early wound healing?

Researchers will compare adults who receive standard periodontal frenectomy with virtual reality-based audiovisual distraction to adults who receive standard periodontal frenectomy without virtual reality.

Participants will:

Complete anxiety and pain questionnaires before the procedure. Undergo periodontal frenectomy under local anesthesia. Be randomly assigned to either the virtual reality group or the control group. Have blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and pain levels recorded at defined time points during the procedure.

Record daily pain levels and analgesic use for 7 days after surgery. Return for a 7-day follow-up visit for suture removal and early wound healing assessment.

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+Arms and interventions

Arm	Type	Interventions	Description
Virtual Reality Group	Experimental	Behavioral: Virtual Reality-Based Audiovisual Distraction; Procedure: Standard Periodontal Frenectomy	Participants in this group will receive standard periodontal frenectomy under local anesthesia with virtual reality-based audiovisual distraction during the procedure. After baseline assessments and randomization, a Meta Quest 3 head-mounted virtual reality device will be placed before local anesthesia. Participants will passively watch a standardized nature video with calming audio until the surgical procedure is completed.
Control Group	Active comparator	Procedure: Standard Periodontal Frenectomy	Participants in this group will receive standard periodontal frenectomy under local anesthesia without virtual reality or any other audiovisual distraction method. The surgical protocol, surgeon, local anesthesia protocol, and clinical environment will be the same as in the virtual reality group.

Virtual Reality-Based Audiovisual Distraction (Behavioral): Participants assigned to the virtual reality group will use a Meta Quest 3 head-mounted device during periodontal frenectomy. A standardized nature video with calming audio will be presented from before local anesthesia until completion of the surgical procedure. The content will be shown from the same starting point with the same brightness and volume settings for all participants. Participants will watch the content passively without interaction.
Standard Periodontal Frenectomy (Procedure): All participants will undergo clinically indicated periodontal frenectomy under local anesthesia using a standardized surgical protocol. The procedure will be performed by the same surgeon under standardized clinical conditions.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

Pain Intensity Assessed by Visual Analog Scale During and Immediately After Surgery [After local anesthesia, during the middle phase of surgery, and 10 minutes after completion of surgery]: Pain intensity will be assessed using a 0 to 10 visual analog scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain imaginable. Pain will be recorded after local anesthesia, during the middle phase of surgery, and 10 minutes after completion of surgery.
State Anxiety Score Assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form [Baseline before randomization and virtual reality application, and 10 minutes after completion of surgery]: State anxiety will be assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form (STAI-S). The STAI-S consists of 20 items scored from 1 to 4, with a total score ranging from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate higher state anxiety.
Blood Pressure During Periodontal Frenectomy [Before virtual reality application, after local anesthesia, during the middle phase of surgery, and immediately after surgery]: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) as physiological indicators of stress response.
Heart Rate During Periodontal Frenectomy [Baseline before randomization and virtual reality application, after local anesthesia, during the middle phase of surgery, and at completion of surgery]: Heart rate will be measured as beats per minute using pulse oximetry. Heart rate will be used as a physiological indicator of stress response.
Peripheral Oxygen Saturation During Periodontal Frenectomy [Baseline before randomization and virtual reality application, after local anesthesia, during the middle phase of surgery, and at completion of surgery]: Peripheral oxygen saturation will be measured as percentage using pulse oximetry. Peripheral oxygen saturation will be used as a physiological indicator of stress response.

Secondary outcomes

Postoperative Pain Intensity Assessed by Visual Analog Scale [Postoperative days 1 to 7]: Postoperative pain intensity will be assessed daily using a 0 to 10 visual analog scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain imaginable.

+Eligibility

Sex: All, ages: 18 Years to 65 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults aged 18 to 65 years
* Classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II
* Presence of a clinical indication for periodontal frenectomy
* No previous periodontal surgery experience
* No previous virtual reality experience

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnancy or breastfeeding
* Visual or hearing impairment that may prevent the use of the virtual reality headset
* History of claustrophobia
* History of vertigo
* Use of analgesic or sedative medication within the last 24 hours
* Current substance dependence
* Presence of active infection in the surgical area
* Current regular use of antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, sedatives/hypnotics, or other psychotropic medications

+Locations (1)

Facility	City	Country	Status
Bilecik Seyh Edebali University Faculty of Dentistry	Bilecik, Bilecik	Turkey (Türkiye)