The Menstrual Cycle Phase and Effect of Aromatherapy on Orthodontic Debonding Pain

Objectives: The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the effects of the menstrual cycle phases and aromatherapy on women's perception of orthodontic debonding pain. Materials and Methods: The materials of our study were consisted of randomly selected 48 female patients (mean age:19.00±3.40). Four different study groups were performed. LA+; the patients in the luteal phase and received aromatherapy(n=12), LA-; the patients in the luteal phase and did not receive aromatherapy(n=13), FA+; the patients in the follicular phase and received aromatherapy(n=11), FA-; the patients in the follicular phase and did not receive aromatherapy(n=12). Debonding was performed and the pain experience for each tooth was scored by the patient on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Also, participants' general responses to pain were assessed with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). The aromatherapy protocol was to inhale lavender oil from approximately 30 cm for 3 minutes, 3 minutes before debonding. Results: It was found that the mean VAS scores were higher in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase, however this difference was not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with and without aromatherapy in terms of VAS scores(P>0.05). The correlation between total PCS scores and total VAS scores was statistically significant (r=0.310, P