Lavender An Effective Anxiety Reducer For Dental Patients

Mon, 15 Sep 2008

A team of researchers have revealed that lavender scent could be used to help reduce dental patients’ anxiety.

The researchers from King's College London, led by Metaxia Kritsidima, measured the dental anxiety levels of 340 adult patients while they waited for a scheduled dental appointment, with a selection exposed to a lavender scent.

Patients who were exposed to the scent reported feeling less anxious than the control group, regardless of the type of dental appointment/treatment they were being seen for.

However, the exposure to lavender had no effect on the patients' anxiety regarding future dental procedures.

Commenting on the findings, Metaxia Kritsidima said: "A substantial number of people avoid going to dental surgeries because they are scared of the dentist, which can have a significant impact on their dental health .

"The anxiety experienced by these patients once they get to the dentist is stressful not only for them, but also for the dental team."

She added: "Working under a state of increased tension may potentially compromise their performance, as well as lengthening appointment times. This is why finding a way of reducing dental anxiety is really important."

"Our findings suggest that lavender could certainly be used as an effective ‘on-the-spot' anxiety reduction in dentists' waiting rooms," Kritsidima concluded.

Metaxia Kritsidima and her research team will present their results at The British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology and European Health Psychology Society Conference at the University of Bath later this week.
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