Aromatherapy vs Music Therapy for Anxiety in Children During Dental Radiography

April 21, 2026 updated by: Nigde Omer Halisdemir University

Comparative Evaluation of the Effects of Aromatherapy and Music Therapy on Anxiety in Children Undergoing Oral Radiological Examination for the First Time

This study aims to evaluate and compare the effects of aromatherapy and music therapy on anxiety levels in children undergoing intraoral radiographic examination for the first time. Dental anxiety is a common problem in pediatric patients and can negatively impact cooperation and treatment outcomes.

Children included in the study will be randomly assigned to four groups: aromatherapy and music group, aromatherapy group, music therapy group, or control group. In the aromatherapy group, children will be exposed to a selected essential oil (lavender oil) before the radiographic procedure, while in the music therapy group, children will listen to calming music through a speaker. The group receiving both aromatherapy and music therapy will listen to music while being exposed to the essential oil. The control group will receive standard care without any additional intervention.

Anxiety levels will be assessed before and after the radiographic procedure using the Facial Imaging Scale (FIS). Simultaneously, pulse rate will be measured before and after the procedure using a finger pulse oximeter. The primary aim is to determine whether aromatherapy, music therapy, or a combination of both is more effective in reducing anxiety compared to the control group.

The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of simple, non-invasive, and cost-effective methods to improve the comfort and cooperation of pediatric patients during dental radiographic procedures.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Niğde, Turkey (Türkiye), 51100
        • Recruiting
        • Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Faculty of Dentistry
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Children requiring panoramic radiography for dental examination
  2. No previous history of dental radiographic procedures
  3. Ability to understand and cooperate with the procedure
  4. Provision of written informed consent by parents or legal guardians

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Presence of hearing or olfactory impairment
  2. Use of medications that may affect anxiety levels or heart rate
  3. Presence of systemic or neurological disorders
  4. Inability to cooperate with the study procedures
  5. Refusal of the child or parent/guardian to participate

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Music Therapy (MG)
Behavioral: Music Therapy
Children were exposed to music therapy prior to panoramic radiography. Pachelbel's Canon in D major was played in the clinical environment at a comfortable volume to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.
Experimental: Aromatherapy (AG)
Behavioral: Aromatherapy
Lavender essential oil was diffused into the clinical environment prior to panoramic radiography using an aroma diffuser to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
Experimental: Music Therapy + Aromatherapy (MAG)
Behavioral: Music Therapy
Children were exposed to music therapy prior to panoramic radiography. Pachelbel's Canon in D major was played in the clinical environment at a comfortable volume to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.
Behavioral: Aromatherapy
Lavender essential oil was diffused into the clinical environment prior to panoramic radiography using an aroma diffuser to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
Other: Control Group (CG)
Other: Routine Care
Children received standard clinical care without any additional intervention prior to panoramic radiography.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Anxiety level assessed by Facial Image Scale (FIS)
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after panoramic radiography
Children's anxiety levels were assessed using the Facial Image Scale (FIS), a validated tool for measuring dental anxiety in pediatric patients. It consists of a series of five pictures of faces (from 1 to 5), ranging from very happy to very unhappy. The scale is scored with a score of 1 for the face with the most positive emotion and a score of 5 for the face with the most negative emotion. Scores obtained before and after the radiographic procedure were compared.
Immediately before and immediately after panoramic radiography

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Heart rate
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after panoramic radiography
Heart rate was recorded as a physiological indicator of anxiety before and after the radiographic procedure.
Immediately before and immediately after panoramic radiography
Presence artifacts in panoramic radiographs
Time Frame: Immediately after panoramic radiography
Panoramic radiographs were evaluated by an experienced radiologist for the presence of artifacts affecting image quality.
Immediately after panoramic radiography

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Nigde Omer Halisdemir University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 5, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 21, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NigdeOHU-AromatherapyMusic

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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