Effect of Music Therapy on Dental Anxiety in Periodontal Surgery

Effect of Music Therapy on Dental Anxiety in Periodontal Surgery Introduction: Pharmacological or non-pharmacological methods are applied to eliminate fear and anxiety problems related to dental treatments in many patients. As a non-invasive, non-pharmacological method with an anxiolytic effect, music therapy is preferred in the management of anxiety and fear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of music therapy on dental anxiety in patients scheduled to undergo periodontal surgery. Material and Method: The study included a total of 46 patients, 23 in the study group and 23 in the control group, who were scheduled to undergo periodontal surgery. During the surgical procedure, the patients in the study group listened to music using in-ear headphones that isolated ambient sounds. The patients in the control group wore in-ear headphones to isolate ambient sounds, but they did not listen to any music. All patients were asked to complete the Modified Dentistry Anxiety Scale (MDAS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S), and the Dental Fear Survey (DFS) before and after surgery. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure were measured as vital signs before and after surgery, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores were recorded twice (at the end of and 30 minutes after the surgical procedure). Results: In the study group, the post-test MDAS, STAI-S, and DFS measurement values showed statistically significant decreases compared to the pre-test measurement values (P<0.001, P=0.009, and P<0.001, respectively), but there was no statistically significant difference in the control group (P=0.093, P=0.923, and P=0.460, respectively). In both the study and control groups, the post-test VAS measurement values statistically significantly decreased compared to the pre-test measurement values (P=0.002 and P=0.019, respectively). While the post-test SBP values decreased statistically significantly in the study group compared to the pre-test measurement values (P=0.020), there was no statistically significant difference in the control group (P=0.705). No statistically significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test measurement values of the DFS scores in the study or control group (P=0.083 and P=0.160, respectively). Clinical significance: This study is the first clinical study to evaluate the effect of music on anxiety in periodontal surgery simultaneously with four different scales. Music therapy was found to be effective in reducing dental anxiety and fear during periodontal surgery.