"The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Dental Anxiety"

NCT07813221 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: DUHS/IRB/EXTENSION/2026/362
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 68
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

ABSTRACT Background: Dental anxiety is addressed as a common issue in adults, often delaying necessary dental treatments and impacting overall oral health. Conventional anxiety management methods may not be preferred due to certain limitations, therefore prompting interest in complementary therapies. The most promising therapy is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses essential oils for relaxation to reduce stress. This approach is non-invasive and accessible, making it a promising option for reducing dental anxiety. This study will examine the effect of aromatherapy in adults undergoing dental treatment, highlighting holistic strategies in dental care. Aim of the study: This study aimed to determine the effect of aromatherapy on dental anxiety among dental patients. Methodology: The study will be a randomized control trial, with 68 participants divided into two groups, Experimental (aromatherapy) and Control, randomizing through Sequentially Numbered, Opaque, and Sealed Envelopes (SNOSE). This trial will be conducted at dental OPD, Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences. The patients of both gender aged 20-45 years, requiring any dental procedure and providing an informed consent form will be part of the study. Patients with colds, asthma, or other respiratory diseases, acoustic problems, allergic to lavender oils used in the study and mental and physical disabilities will be excluded. It will be a single-blinded study where the examiner is unaware of group allocation. Questionnaires will be used to evaluate patient anxiety levels before the intervention and after dental procedure. Intervention (Aromatherapy) will be administered via nebulizer for 15 minutes. The control group will receive placebo intervention via nebulizer filled with normal saline for 15 minutes. Physiological data will be collected to measure stress response, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation, using a digital sphygmomanometer and pulse oximeter at the start of the intervention (baseline) and at the end of the dental procedure.

Conditions

Aromatherapy (Geranium Essential Oil)

Keywords

dental anxiety; MDAS; aromatherapy.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Dental anxiety

  Dental Anxiety status measured by Modified Dental anxiety scale. The minimum and maximum values recorded by Modified dental anxiety scale will be \< 10 and \>19 respectively and the higher scores means high dental anxiety which is worse outcome

  one hour

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Physiological Parameters

  One hour

• Physiological Parameter

  one hour

• Physiological Parameter

  one hour

Study Arms (2)

Experimental: Aromatherapy will be administered.

EXPERIMENTAL

Lavender Aromatherapy will administrated to Experimental group

Other: Lavender Aromatherapy

Group 2: (Control): Placebo intervention

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Other: Placebo Control

Interventions

Lavender Aromatherapy OTHER

Lavender Aromatherapy will administrated to Experimental group

Experimental: Aromatherapy will be administered.

Placebo Control OTHER

The control group will receive placebo intervention via nebulizer filled with normal saline for 15 minutes to remain calm and anxiety free.

Group 2: (Control): Placebo intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Patients who will give consent to the study.
• Patients aged 20-45 years undergoing dental treatment for the first time.
• Both gender.
• Patient seeking any one of the following dental procedures: root canal treatment, scaling and polishing or tooth extraction.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with colds, asthma, and any other respiratory diseases.
• Patients with acoustic problems.
• Patients who are allergic Lavender oils that have been used in this study.
• Patients with mental and physical disabilities.
• Patient who may refuse to continue the intervention will be excluded.
• Non cooperative patients.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dow University of Health Sciences: lead

Related Publications (2)

• Karan NB. Influence of lavender oil inhalation on vital signs and anxiety: A randomized clinical trial. Physiol Behav. 2019 Nov 1;211:112676. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112676. Epub 2019 Sep 7.

  PMID: 31505191 RESULT

• Kritsidima M, Newton T, Asimakopoulou K. The effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: a cluster randomised-controlled trial. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2010 Feb;38(1):83-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2009.00511.x. Epub 2009 Nov 23.

  PMID: 19968674 RESULT

Related Links

• A registered randomized clinical trial evaluating lavender essential oil aromatherapy for the control of dental anxiety during third molar surgery.

Central Study Contacts

Sadaf Arshi, MSc. in Community Dentistry

CONTACT

02138771111; sadaf.arshi@duhs.edu.pk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Dr. Sadaf Arshi (dr.sadaf arshi)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 27, 2026
• First Posted: September 10, 2026
• Study Start: September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Last Updated: September 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share