Evaluation of the Sedative Effect of Contextualized Music Listening on Patient Pain and Anxiety in a Dental Care Setting

NCT07543042 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1606-2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical study is to determine whether listening to culturally and personally contextualized music can reduce pain and anxiety in adults undergoing dental procedures. It will also examine how this intervention affects physiological responses related to stress. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does listening to a preselected, patient-chosen musical sequence reduce perceived pain during a dental procedure?
• Does the music modulate physiological stress responses, such as heart rate and blood pressure?
• Do the analgesic and anxiolytic effects vary depending on the patient's cultural musical preferences (e.g., Mashriq vs. Western music)? How do patients perceive the effectiveness of the music, and how does this relate to physiological and self-reported measures? Researchers will compare periods with and without music during the same dental procedure to evaluate the effect of the musical intervention. Participants will:
• Choose a musical sequence from a predefined selection based on relaxing musical characteristics
• Undergo a dental treatment involving drilling for caries
• Experience alternating phases with and without music during the procedure
• Have their heart rate, blood pressure, and pain levels measured at different stages
• Complete questionnaires assessing anxiety before the procedure and their experience after the treatment The study includes 30 adult participants and is conducted in a private dental clinic.

Conditions

Dental Pain; Dental Anxiety

Keywords

Music therapy; Dental pain; Dental anxiety; analgesia; non-pharmacological intervention; heart rate; blood pressure; stress response

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Pain Intensity

  Participants report their pain level during each phase of the dental drilling procedure using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable).

  At T0 (before the procedure), at T1 (30seconds after initiation of drilling, pre-music), at T2 (150seconds after initiation of the procedure,during music), at T3 (330seconds after initiation of the procedure,post-music) within a single treatment session.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Heart Rate

  Baseline (before the procedure), T1 (30 seconds after initiation of drilling, pre-music), T2 (150 seconds after initiation of the procedure, during music), T3 (330 seconds after initiation of the procedure, after music) within a single treatment session.

• Blood Pressure (Systolic and Diastolic)

  Baseline (before the procedure), T1 (30 seconds after initiation of drilling, pre-music), T2 (150 seconds after initiation of the procedure, during music), T3 (330 seconds after initiation of the procedure, after music) within a single treatment session.

• Post-Treatment Perception of Music Effectiveness

  Measured immediately after the dental procedure (post-treatment).

Study Arms (1)

Music Listening During Dental Procedure (Within-Subject Design)

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants are exposed to both control (no music) and intervention (music listening) conditions within the same dental procedure. After baseline measurements, participants undergo a standardized dental drilling sequence divided into phases: a control phase without music, an intervention phase during which they listen to a self-selected musical sequence from a predefined, culturally and personally contextualized playlist, and a post-intervention control phase without music.

Behavioral: Baseline Assessment (T0); Behavioral: Control Condition - Silence (Pre-Music Phase); Behavioral: Music Listening Condition (Intervention Phase); Behavioral: Control Condition - Silence (Post-Music Phase)

Interventions

Control Condition - Silence (Post-Music Phase) BEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo a second 30-second dental drilling period without music following the intervention phase. Physiological parameters and perceived pain intensity are recorded to evaluate post-intervention effects and return to baseline conditions.

Music Listening During Dental Procedure (Within-Subject Design)

Baseline Assessment (T0) BEHAVIORAL

Measurement of baseline physiological parameters (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) prior to the dental procedure, without any auditory stimulation or dental drilling.

Music Listening During Dental Procedure (Within-Subject Design)

Control Condition - Silence (Pre-Music Phase) BEHAVIORAL

Participants undergo dental drilling for 30 seconds without music. Physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure) and perceived pain intensity are recorded to establish control measures prior to the music intervention.

Music Listening During Dental Procedure (Within-Subject Design)

Music Listening Condition (Intervention Phase) BEHAVIORAL

Participants listen to a self-selected musical sequence from a predefined, culturally and personally contextualized playlist starting 2 minutes before and continuing during a 30-second dental drilling period. Physiological parameters (heart rate and blood pressure) and perceived pain intensity are recorded to assess the effects of the music intervention on pain and stress responses.

Music Listening During Dental Procedure (Within-Subject Design)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adult patients aged 18 to 60 years.
• Visiting the dental clinic for treatment of dental caries.
• Able to provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients who do not provide written informed consent.
• Children (under 18 years of age).
• Patients with known mental or physical disorders.
• Pregnant women.
• Patients currently taking analgesics, anxiolytics, or antidepressants.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rawane El Dimachki: lead
• Sorbonne University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Private Dental Clinic of Dr. Mhammad El Dimachki

Baabda, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon

Location

Related Publications (7)

• Koelsch, S. (2014). Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions. Nat Rev Neurosci, 15(3), 170-180. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666.

  BACKGROUND

• Singh, D., Samadi, F., Jaiswal, J., & Tripathi, A. M. (2014). Stress Reduction through Audio Distraction in Anxious Pediatric Dental Patients: An Adjunctive Clinical Study. International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 7(3), 149-152. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1254

  BACKGROUND

• Mejía-Rubalcava, C., Alanís-Tavira, J., Mendieta-Zerón, H., & Sánchez-Pérez, L. (2015). Changes induced by music therapy to physiologic parameters in patients with dental anxiety. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 21(4), 282-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.10.005

  BACKGROUND

• Moola, S., Pearson, A., & Hagger, C. (2011). Effectiveness of music interventions on dental anxiety in paediatric and adult patients: A systematic review. JBI Library of Systematic Reviews, 9(18), 588 630. https://doi.org/10.11124/01938924-201109180-00001

  BACKGROUND

• Lai, H.-L., Hwang, M.-J., Chen, C.-J., Chang, K.-F., Peng, T.-C., & Chang, F.-M. (2008). Randomised controlled trial of music on state anxiety and physiological indices in patients undergoing root canal treatment. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(19), 2654-2660. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365 2702.2008.02350.x

  BACKGROUND

• Lahmann, C., Schoen, R., Henningsen, P., Ronel, J., Muehlbacher, M., Loew, T., Tritt, K., Nickel, M., & Doering, S. (2008). Brief relaxation versus music distraction in the treatment of dental anxiety: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Journal of the American Dental Association, 139(3), 317-324. https://doi.org/10.14219/jada.archive.2008.0161

  BACKGROUND

• Gabai, M. (1969). Thérapie par les sons et sophrologie. Information Dentaire, 24, 443-445.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Toothache; Agnosia; Fractures, Stress

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases; Facial Pain; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Perceptual Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Fractures, Bone; Wounds and Injuries

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Chairperson of the department of music therapy

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 26, 2026
• First Posted: April 21, 2026
• Study Start: October 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2025
• Study Completion: December 23, 2025
• Last Updated: April 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

LE (1)