Research summary · Randomised controlled trial · 2010
Lavender in a dental waiting room: lower anxiety in the moment, not less fear of the dentist
In a trial of 340 dental patients, those who waited with lavender scent reported significantly lower anxiety than those who waited without it. Their general anxiety about future dental visits did not change.
Reviewed by Simon Faure-Field · 8 October 2026 · Based on the published abstract
Part of our evidence review: Does scent reduce anxiety in dental and medical waiting rooms?
At a glance
Key findings
- 340patients in a cluster randomised controlled trial.
- Lowercurrent anxiety in the lavender group than in the no-scent group.
- No changein general anxiety about future dental visits.
The study
Citation and study details
Citation: Kritsidima, M., Newton, T., & Asimakopoulou, K. (2010). The effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: A cluster randomised-controlled trial. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 38(1), 83–87.
Read the original: doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2009.00511.x
- Study typeCluster randomised controlled trialPeer-reviewed
- Sample340 dental patients170 lavender, 170 control
- SettingA private dental practiceAthens, as reported in press coverage
- Evidence gradeA: direct field evidenceReal patients before real treatment
Method
What the researchers did
Patients’ anxiety was measured while they waited for a scheduled dental appointment, with lavender scent in the waiting room or with no scent.
The researchers, from King’s College London, ran a cluster randomised controlled trial with 340 patients waiting for scheduled dental appointments. They used two measures: the brief State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6), for how anxious patients felt at that moment, and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), for their general anxiety about dental treatment.
Press coverage of the study reported that it took place in a private dental practice in Athens, Greece, with 170 patients in each group, and that the scent came from a candle warmer: an unscented candle heated water in an upper compartment, with or without lavender oil.
Results
What they found
The lavender group felt significantly less anxious while waiting, but their underlying dental anxiety was the same as the control group’s.
Both groups had similar, moderate levels of general dental anxiety on the MDAS, so they were comparable in how anxious they were about dental treatment.
Even so, the lavender group reported significantly lower current anxiety on the STAI-6 than the control group (F = 74.69, p < 0.001). Press coverage of an earlier conference presentation of the study reported average scores of 7.4 in the lavender group and 10.7 in the control group, and said the effect held regardless of the type of appointment.
The authors conclude that lavender reduces state anxiety in dental patients, while anxiety about future dental visits seems unaffected. They describe lavender as on-the-spot anxiety relief, not an anxiety treatment.
Limitations
Limitations
One practice, and some details come from press coverage rather than the paper.
The trial was run in a single practice and its outcomes were self-reported. Anxiety was measured once, while patients waited, so the study does not show how long the effect lasted.
This summary is based on the published abstract and on press coverage of the study. We have not yet reviewed the full paper, so the setting, delivery method and average scores are reported as the press described them.
A note on the evidence
How strong is this evidence?
Strong for a single study: the largest of the dental scent trials, with a randomised design.
With 340 patients and a cluster randomised design, this is the largest and most rigorous of the dental waiting-room studies in the library, and it is independent of the Lehrner research group. Its finding that lavender lowers in-the-moment anxiety matches the other lavender studies. Its finding that general dental fear was unchanged is an important limit on what scent can be expected to do.
For commercial spaces
What it means for commercial spaces
For a dental practice, this is the strongest single piece of evidence that lavender scent in the waiting room can help patients feel calmer before treatment. It also sets realistic expectations: scent eases the wait, but it is not a treatment for dental fear, and patients with severe anxiety still need clinical support. Practices should present scent as part of a calm environment, not as therapy.
Scent Swirl supplies ambient scenting for dental practices. See how scenting works in dental clinics →
How to cite this summary
Scent Swirl. (2026). Summary of Kritsidima et al. (2010), The effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: A cluster randomised-controlled trial. Scent Research Library. https://scentswirl.com/research/kritsidima-2010-lavender-dental-anxiety/ (last reviewed 8 October 2026 by Simon Faure-Field).
This summary is based on the published abstract and press coverage of the study. We have not yet reviewed the full paper. If you spot an error or know of a study we should add, we would like to hear from you.
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