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Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Reducing Anxiety in Patients with Potentially Malignant Oral Disorders
Elia Lopez-Yufera1, Pia López-Jornet2, Oscar Toralla3
1Department Stomatology School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Adv Marques de los Velez s/n 30008, Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of a music intervention upon anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate in adult patients with potentially malignant oral disorders.
Methods:
Eighty consecutive adults (mean age: 68.3 years) consulting a Unit of Oral Medicine (Murcia Spain) were randomized to a study group (n = 40) that listened to music through headphones during 10 minutes or to a control group (n = 40). Corah's dental anxiety score, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation (oximetry), skin temperature, and salivation were recorded at different timepoints before and after patient consultation.
Results:
Significant pre- versus post-consultation reductions were observed in blood pressure (p < 0.001) and heart rate (p < 0.001), though not in temperature, salivation, and oxygen saturation (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the study group and the controls (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
The applied music intervention had no apparent effect upon anxiety. Further studies using different music intervention strategies and/or analytic parameters are needed to explore the benefits of this approach to decreasing anxiety.
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