2024-04-05 08:00:00
It is impossible not to perceive the distress of young Sarah-Maude. For her, the dental clinic is a place of torture. Even taking a sedative cannot reduce his anxiety.
Before coming to see us, Sarah-Maude first had to take a blood test on another floor. The nurse told me that the child was terrified. It’s often the anxiety and apprehension that are the worst, says her dentist, Dr. Marie-Ève Asselin, who is immersed in this world every day.
Here, at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center in Montreal, we see neurodivergent children.
Asselin. We can also encounter children with a pervasive developmental disorder, ADHD, or carrying a genetic anomaly such as trisomy21″,”text”:”We are talking about hypersensitivity or anxiety, notes Dr. Asselin. We can also encounter children with a pervasive developmental disorder, ADHD, or carriers of a genetic anomaly such as Down syndrome”}}”>We are talking about hypersensitivity or anxiety, notes Dr. Asselin. We can also encounter children with a pervasive developmental disorder, ADHD, or carrying a genetic anomaly such as Down syndrome.
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Dr. Marie-Ève Asselin, from the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, in Montreal.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
This clientele is generally excluded from clinical trials, or at the very least neglected, explains Sylvie Le May, specialist in procedural pain.
A problem that the researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal is tackling with a trial carried out with 200 children divided into two groups. One will use virtual reality, the other will not.
This will allow the effect of the tool to be properly evaluated.
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The child is equipped with a virtual reality headset and a controller.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
Today, Dr. Asselin has to extract Sarah-Maude’s tooth.
However, despite the ordeal to come, the dentist and her young patient may find the experience more pleasant than they imagine. A virtual reality headset is placed on Sarah-Maude’s head. He is also given a controller.
The animation quickly captivates the child. The procedure can begin.
We want to confirm whether the use of virtual reality during the intervention makes the visit more fun and more pleasant. Virtual reality is a multisensory distraction that allows you to enter another world.
A quote from Sylvie Le May, specialist in procedural pain affiliated with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal
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A specialist in procedural pain, researcher Sylvie Le May is affiliated with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
If the idea is interesting, it requires reflection.
Indeed, immersing yourself in a virtual world can arouse the desire to interact, to grab objects, to move – which is far from ideal, both for the dentist and for the patient.
Marie-Ève Asselin. Obviously, if the child’s head moves, it complicates my work.”,”text”:”When the child is wearing the headset, he must not move his head during the immersive experience that we are giving him suggests, explains Dr.Marie-Ève Asselin. Obviously, if the child’s head moves, that complicates my work.”}}”>When the child is wearing the headset, they must not move their head during the immersive experience that we offer them, explains Dr. Marie-Ève Asselin. Obviously, if the child’s head moves, it complicates my work.
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Dr. Jean-Simon Fortin is a former emergency physician.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Christine Muschi
Preventing the head from moving during the experiment is the challenge of Dr Jean-Simon Fortin.
A former emergency physician, this doctor now specializes in virtual reality within his company Paperplane Therapeutics.
After a year of work, we managed to build an interactive experience that keeps the patient’s head still, he says. To play and generate interaction, he only uses the movement of his eyes to move around the game and a controller to interact with the interface, such as jumping.
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The game was designed to avoid head movements for the patient.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
During this test, a multitude of parameters are analyzed. Some are subjective, such as patient reactions, but others are objective.
We measure the child’s stress by their saliva, indicates Sylvie Le May. We evaluate the level of alpha-amylase, an enzyme which gives a good idea of what the child is experiencing, of what he is feeling. This information will allow a comparison to be made between the experimental group and the control group.
The results will not be available until later this year, but Sylvie Le May already has a good idea of how her trial will go.
% of children tolerate virtual reality, she says. I tell myself that if 75% of children have a more positive experience, that’s so much the better!”,”text”:”Approximately 75% of children tolerate virtual reality, she says. I tell myself that if 75% of children have a more positive experience, that’s so much the better!”}}”>Approximately 75% of children tolerate virtual reality, she says. I tell myself that if 75% of children have a more positive experience, that’s so much the better!
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The procedure went smoothly.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
Immersed in virtual reality, Sarah-Maude saw nothing, felt nothing. Dr. Asselin was able to extract a tooth without difficulty.
Absorbed by the game, the child even asked to finish her part before getting up from the dentist’s chair.
A report by Danny Lemieux on this subject will be presented on the show Discovery Sunday at 6 p.m. h 30 on HERE TV.
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