Effect of Sweet Aromatherapy on the Injection Pain of Infiltration Anesthesia for Primary Maxillary Molars in Children: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial.

Abstract

Background: Pain during dental injections can negatively impact children's perception of dental visits. Various methods have been explored to reduce this pain. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effect of sweet aromatherapy on injection pain associated with infiltration anesthesia for primary maxillary molars in 7-9-year-old children. Design: In this randomized, double blind controlled clinical trial, 48 children (7-9 years old) requiring infiltration anesthesia for maxillary molars were randomly allocated to three groups (n = 16 each) (I) control group receiving anesthetic injection in an unscented room; (II) anesthetic injection in a room saturated with 2% sweet vanilla scent, and (III) anesthetic injection simultaneous with exposure to 2% sweet vanilla scent for 30 sec. Subjective pain was measured using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, while objective pain was assessed using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) behavioral scale. Heart rate (HR) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) were also recorded as physiological indicators. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: The FLACC scores and HR in the intervention groups was significantly lower than that in the control group (P = 0.05). Regarding SpO₂, only the difference between the control and saturated room groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in Wang-Baker score between groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Two percent sweet vanilla scent can be a successful distraction method to reduce injection pain during infiltration anesthesia for maxillary molars in children aged 7-9 years. Further research in different age groups with a larger sample size seems necessary to strengthen the evidence.