A scene from the virtual reality visit to Wembury beach in Devon
dental anxiety virtual beach wembury

"Bottled nature" in the form of virtual reality (VR) can help reduce patients' pain levels.

精品无码国产自产 psychologists found that patients who were able to walk around a natural environment using the technology experienced reduced levels of anxiety.

The natural environment was a key factor, the researchers added, as those who experienced an urban VR environment did not receive the same benefits.

Sabine Pahl, co-ordinator of the research

Walking around the virtual city did not improve outcomes, showing that merely distracting the patients isn鈥檛 enough, the environment for a patient鈥檚 visit needs to be welcoming and relaxing. It would be interesting to apply this approach to other contexts

Published in Environment & Behaviour, by the Universities of 精品无码国产自产, Exeter and Birmingham who worked with Torrington Dental Practice in Devon.

Read about the study
Associate Professor Sabine Pahl