Description

Dental anxiety is a common behavioral challenge in pediatric dentistry and can significantly influence the quality of dental care, potentially leading to avoidance of necessary treatments. One of the most anxiety-inducing procedures is the administration of local anesthesia. Excessive fear and pain perception can negatively impact the child's dental experience and long-term oral health behavior.

Aromatherapy, a non-pharmacological method utilizing essential oils from plants, has shown potential in reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation. Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) has been extensively studied for its calming and anxiolytic properties in children and adults. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) also contains bioactive compounds believed to have similar relaxing effects, though its use in pediatric dental settings has not been adequately evaluated.

This randomized clinical trial aims to investigate the effects of lavender and lemongrass aromatherapy on anxiety levels and pain perception in children aged 7-11 years undergoing local anesthetic administration at the pediatric dentistry department, Faculty of Dentistry, Ain Shams University.

Forty-eight medically free children, with no prior dental visits and who fall within Frankl behavioral rating scale levels 3 or 4, will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:

Lavender aromatherapy group

Lemongrass aromatherapy group

Control group (no aromatherapy)

Children in the intervention groups will inhale either lavender or lemongrass essential oil via a nebulizer for 2 minutes prior to receiving local anesthesia. The control group will receive standard care with no aromatherapy. All local anesthetic injections will be performed using 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine after applying topical anesthesia to dry mucosa.

To objectively assess anxiety levels, salivary cortisol will be collected before and after the procedure using an unstimulated/stimulated saliva method. Cortisol concentrations will be analyzed using a commercial ELISA kit. Pain perception will be evaluated immediately after the procedure using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale - a validated self-reported tool for children. Heart rate will also be recorded before and after treatment using a finger-type pulse oximeter as a physiological stress marker.

The primary objective is to determine whether either essential oil significantly reduces anxiety levels, as evidenced by changes in salivary cortisol. Secondary outcomes include differences in reported pain and heart rate between groups. The study uses simple randomization with opaque envelope allocation concealment and blinding of outcome assessors (statistician and lab technician). Due to the nature of the intervention, operator and participant blinding is not possible.

This study may offer a practical, non-invasive adjunctive method to manage dental anxiety and pain in children, improving patient cooperation and long-term dental health outcomes.