Evaluation of the effect of Mozart’s music on stress, anxiety, and dexterity levels of dental students in preclinical endodontic training using a haptic virtual reality simulator

Purpose: To assess the stress and anxiety levels of 3rd-year students in preclinical training along with their success rates under the background of Mozart’s music using a haptic virtual reality simulator (HVRS).
Methods: Sixty 3rd-year dentistry students enrolled in preclinical endodontic training were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Participating students were randomly divided into two groups according to whether Mozart’s music was used during the access cavity preparation using HVRS. Stress and anxiety levels were evaluated with the Stress-VAS 1 and 2 scales and STAI S and T questionnaires, respectively. Manual dexterity was measured based on the target progress, accuracy, target volume, and outside volume. Data were analyzed with Fisher’s exact and Mann-Whitney U tests and the square of the Spearman linear coefficient.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference between genders regarding stress and anxiety levels (p > 0.05). Music significantly reduced stress and anxiety levels and enhanced manual dexterity (p < 0.05). A significant negative association was observed between the target progress and Stress-VAS 2 (p < 0.05), whereas the correlation did not differ between accuracy and Stress-VAS 2 (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Mozart’s music positively affected stress and anxiety levels along with the manual dexterity of students in preclinical endodontic training using HVRS.