Evidence review
Does scent reduce anxiety in dental and medical waiting rooms?
Ambient scent lowered patients’ anxiety while waiting in four of five controlled studies in dental and medical waiting rooms, most consistently with lavender. The effect is modest and short-lived: it did not reduce long-term fear of dental treatment, and one study in large, busy clinics found no effect.
Reviewed by Simon Faure-Field · 7 October 2026 · Based on five peer-reviewed studies
At a glance
Key findings
- 4 of 5controlled studies found lower anxiety among patients who waited with a pleasant scent than among patients who waited without one.
- 3 of 3studies that tested lavender on its own found it lowered anxiety.
- 219patients in three large Dutch clinics showed no effect from orange scent, which had lowered anxiety in two small dental practices.
- 340patients in one study felt less anxious while waiting, but their general fear of dental visits did not change (Kritsidima et al., 2010).
- 117patients in a plastic surgeon’s waiting room: lavender and relaxing music each lowered anxiety on their own, but not together.
Question 1 of 6
Which scent works best in a dental waiting room?
Lavender has the most consistent support: used on its own, it lowered anxiety in all three studies that tested it. Citrus results were mixed.
Orange lowered anxiety in two small dental practices but had no effect in three large clinics in the Netherlands. The Dutch researchers note that citrus scents can be stimulating as well as relaxing, and that the two effects may cancel out.
When Fenko and Loock pre-tested eight scents for their study, lavender was rated the most relaxing and orange among the least.
Question 2 of 6
Why do some studies find no effect?
The clearest difference is the setting: the positive dental studies were run in small practices, while the study that found no effect was run in three large, busy clinics.
Each of those clinics in the Rotterdam area saw 70 to 80 patients a day. The researchers suggest that the constant coming and going may itself distract patients, leaving less anxiety for a scent to reduce.
Most patients there did not rate the waiting room as smelling any different from other waiting rooms, suggesting the scent went largely unnoticed. In the plastic surgeon study, by contrast, 71% of patients in the scent condition said they had noticed it.
Who the patients were may also matter. In the first Lehrner study, the calming effect of orange was found in women.
Question 3 of 6
How strong should the scent be?
Subtle but noticeable. In both studies that reported how they set the strength, the researchers adjusted it using feedback from patients until it was perceptible without being intrusive.
The Rotterdam team adjusted the dispensers until pilot patients rated the scent at a moderate strength.
In the plastic surgeon study, the researchers started with three diffusers and reduced to two after patients said the scent was too strong.
Question 4 of 6
Does scent make the wait feel shorter?
Not in the one study that measured it. In a plastic surgeon’s waiting room, lavender changed neither how long patients felt they had waited nor how they rated the room.
How long patients actually waited mattered far more: waits ranged from 5 minutes to 3 hours, and patients who waited more than an hour were more likely to call the wait long and unreasonable.
Question 5 of 6
Can scent treat dental anxiety?
No. Scent eased anxiety in the moment, but in the study that measured both, patients’ general fear of dental visits was unchanged.
Kritsidima and colleagues describe lavender as on-the-spot relief in the waiting room, not a treatment for dental fear.
Question 6 of 6
Does adding music help?
Not when patients are already anxious. Lavender and relaxing music each lowered anxiety on their own, but the combination did not.
Fenko and Loock suggest that for people who are already anxious, extra stimulation can raise arousal rather than lower it.
Sources
The evidence in full
| Study | Setting | Scent | Patients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehrner et al. (2000) | Dental practice | Orange | 72 | Lower anxiety, better mood and more calm in women |
| Lehrner et al. (2005) | Dental office | Orange; lavender | 200 | Lower anxiety and better mood with both scents |
| Kritsidima et al. (2010) | Dental practice | Lavender | 340 | Lower anxiety while waiting; general dental fear unchanged |
| Toet et al. (2010) | Three large dental clinics, Netherlands | Orange; apple | 219 | No effect on anxiety, mood or pain |
| Fenko & Loock (2014) | Plastic surgeon’s waiting room, Germany | Lavender, with and without music | 117 | Scent alone and music alone lowered anxiety; together, no effect |
A note on the evidence
How strong is this evidence?
Encouraging but limited: five studies, mostly at single sites, measuring self-reported anxiety.
The two orange-scent studies with positive results come from the same research group, and an independent replication in large clinics found no effect. The findings support using scent as a modest comfort measure, not as a proven clinical intervention.
In practice
What this means for clinics
- Choose a calming scentLavender has the most consistent support; citrus results were mixed.
- Set the strength with patient feedbackAim for a scent most patients notice without finding it strong.
- Use one ambient cue at a timeScent and music together worked less well than either alone.
- Expect modest, in-the-moment effectsDo not present scent as a cure for dental anxiety; large, busy clinics may see less benefit.
Scent Swirl supplies ambient scenting for dental practices. See how scenting works in dental clinics →
How to cite this review
Scent Swirl. (2026). Does scent reduce anxiety in dental and medical waiting rooms? An evidence review. Scent Research Library. https://scentswirl.com/research/does-scent-reduce-dental-anxiety/ (last reviewed 7 October 2026 by Simon Faure-Field).
Each finding above is summarised from the original papers, which are linked from the individual study summaries. This review was checked by Simon Faure-Field, lecturer in sensory branding at SMU Academy. If you spot an error or know of a study we should add, we would like to hear from you.