Effect of Aromatherapy and Music Therapy on Patients Anxiety, Pain and Physiologic Parameters During Extraction of Included Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Aromatherapy and music therapy significantly reduce perioperative anxiety. • Both interventions improve physiological parameters during surgery. • Aromatherapy and music therapy reduce postoperative pain perception. • Non-invasive techniques enhance patient comfort during molar extraction. • These methods are low-cost, effective, and easy to integrate into practice. This study evaluated the anxiolytic and analgesic effects of aromatherapy and music therapy in patients undergoing mandibular third molar extraction. A three-arm randomized clinical trial was conducted with 279 patients, divided into an aromatherapy group (93), a music therapy group (93), and a control group (93). Interventions took place during surgery. Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and pain with a visual analog scale. Physiological parameters, including heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SAT), and systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were recorded. The aromatherapy and music therapy groups demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in total, state, and trait anxiety compared to controls (reduction in total anxiety in the aromatherapy group: 3.11; 95% CI, 2.83 to 5.45; Rosenthal r, 0.28; P=0.006; reduction in total anxiety in the music group: 6.01; 95% CI, 3.69 to 8.30; Rosenthal r, 0.52; P<0.001; reduction in total anxiety in the control group: 1.47; 95% CI, 0.39 to 4.54; Rosenthal r, 0.21; P=0.06). The intervention groups also showed reduced HR, SBP, and DBP ( P <0.05), and increased SAT ( P <0.05). Postoperative pain was significantly lower in these groups compared to controls (P<0.05). Aromatherapy and music therapy appear to be promising non-pharmacological strategies for reducing perioperative anxiety and pain during mandibular third molar extractions. Music therapy produced a greater reduction in anxiety levels, while aromatherapy showed a more pronounced effect on physiological parameters. Both interventions were associated with lower postoperative pain.