Assessment of Color Perception and Preference with Eye-Tracking Analysis in a Dental Treatment Environment

Abstract

Nowadays, medical facilities are developing their treatment environment to provide better services to their patients. In particular, dental hospitals have been considered uncomfortable and uninviting spaces, which needs to change so that people can visit easily and feel more relaxed. However, only a few systematic studies have reported on the demand for building a comfortable space. This study aimed to investigate gaze characteristics based on a color preference survey of the dental unit chair, which has the most influence on spatial perception in the dental treatment environment, using an eye tracking technique for color. The results of this study showed that the color perception by eye tracking and the color preference by survey did not tend to match. The color most viewed by a majority of subjects was pink, which attracted a high level of attention, regardless of personal preference. In addition, for the psychological color images associated with color preference, the subjects tended to prefer images such as warmth, friendliness, and calmness. This appeared to reflect the psychology of the subjects who wished to replace their feelings of anxiety or fear when going to the dental hospital with comfort and tranquility. Therefore, colors that can provide comfort and tranquility to patients should be considered first as visual elements (e.g., brown) in creating a dental treatment environment.

Design Element Preferences in Public Facilities: An Eye Tracking Study

“…Chen et al pointed out that people prefer to look at trees rather than buildings in outdoor activities [30]. Song investigated color preferences in dental hospitals and found that brown stabilized patients more effectively than the traditional blue [31]. Zhang discovered that subway rooms with too much or too little color saturation and brightness might be unsettling, and the most popular colors are not always the most visually pleasing for people [13].…”

“…Subjects were instructed to sit 70 cm in front of the eye-tracking device. Before undertaking the eye movement experiment to see the photos, subjects were only instructed to relax, and the experiment's goal was not apparent [31]. Before starting the formal experiment, a five-point calibration method controlled the subject's line of sight shift to within 0.5 • .…”

“…In terms of research methods, this study increased the experiment's dimensions. Traditional eye-movement experimental research has concentrated univariately on color [13,31], but this paper used software simulation to achieve an intercomparison of various parameters to improve the experiment's dependability. Due to many tests in the experimental process, presenting each logo to the same subject could cause visual fatigue or test content awareness in the subjects, which could affect the findings.…”

Satisfaction Factors with a Dental Unit Chair System in South Korea: A Dentist’s Perspective

“…Additionally, the monitor should move stably and smoothly, and should be supported and fixed stably even after the movement without any motion. A legible resolution is needed in the treatment process for the display of radiographs, oral photographs, and texts [ 22 ].…”

“…A dental unit chair is a necessity in dental clinics, but due to the continuous development of the dental medical device market, various dental unit chairs are being developed, making it difficult for dentists to properly select a dental unit chair when purchasing the dental unit chair. The dental unit chair causes eye fatigue due to light [ 8 , 9 ]; should feature an appropriate size and angle of the patient seat [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], and the appropriate usability of the foot controller [ 14 , 15 ]; the water fountain and cuspidor should be convenient [ 16 , 17 ]; and there should be harmony between the monitor and the overall treatment system [ 21 , 22 ], as well as size and stability of bracket table and controller [ 23 , 24 ]. It is selected by various factors, including the overall design [ 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”