Does Reiki Therapy ReducePreoperative Anxiety andPostoperative Pain in ThirdMolar Surgery? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract

Background: Preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing third molar extraction can influence pain perception. Limited evidence suggests Reiki therapy may help manage anxiety and pain, but its effectiveness in dentistry is unclear.

Purpose: This study evaluated whether Reiki therapy reduces preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain in third molar surgery.

Study design: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Ege University Faculty of Dentistry (İzmir, Türkiye) between March 2021 and February 2023. Participants were 18 to 45 years old, in good general health, with mandibular Class II-B impaction (Pell and Gregory classification), and no prior third molar extraction or Reiki therapy. Exclusion criteria included systemic disease, pregnancy, acute infection, pathological lesions, use of anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs, and inability to provide consent.

Predictor variable: The predictor variable was the type of preoperative intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: Reiki therapy, sham Reiki, or no intervention.

Main outcome variable: Primary outcomes were preoperative anxiety [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory I, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory] and postoperative pain [visual analog scale over 7 days]. Analgesic use during the first postoperative week was recorded.

Covariates: Covariates included sex, baseline anxiety scores, surgery duration, and the quantity/timing of additional analgesic intake in the first postoperative week.

Analyses: Nonparametric tests were used with R software. The Brunner-Langer model assessed group differences in anxiety, pain, and analgesic use. Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests compared intergroup and intragroup outcomes (P < .05 considered significant).

Results: The sample included 180 participants (mean age 27.4 ± 6.1 years). Randomization resulted in an equal distribution of males and females across the groups. Reiki therapy did not significantly reduce preoperative anxiety (mean State-Trait Anxiety Inventory I: 36.6 ± 10.0; P = .079) compared with sham Reiki (40.1 ± 10.1) and no intervention (40.8 ± 10.8). Postoperative pain scores were significantly lower in the Reiki group (mean 2.7 ± 1.8) compared with sham Reiki (3.0 ± 1.7) and no intervention (3.5 ± 1.9) (P = .045).

Conclusion and relevance: Reiki therapy did not reduce preoperative anxiety but was associated with lower postoperative pain. Further trials are warranted to clarify its role in oral surgery.