Effect of Lavender Oil Inhalation on Reducing Presurgical Anxiety in Orthognathic Surgery Patients.

Purpose: We hypothesized that lavender oil inhalation, before orthognathic surgery, would have an anxiolytic effect on patients.

Materials And Methods: We executed a single-blinded, randomized, prospective study. The study comprised 90 patients (43 men and 47 women) scheduled to undergo orthognathic surgery (bilateral sagittal split, Le Fort I, and bimaxillary osteotomies). The patients were exposed to different concentrations of lavender oil diffusions in 120 mL of water during a 1-hour period before surgery (group 1, 0.1-mL oil diffusion; group 2, 0.3-mL oil diffusion; and group 3, no oil). The predictor variable was the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The STAI-2 was used to assess trait anxiety scores, and the STAI-1 was used to assess state anxiety scores at the time of admittance (STAI-1-A) and after 1 hour, before operating room transfer (STAI-1-OR). We performed a χ analysis for categorical variables, 1-way analysis of variance for continuous variables, and paired-samples t test for patients' state and trait anxiety levels. The P value was set at .05.

Results: No significant differences were found between groups concerning gender, age, working status, educational background, and surgical operation to be performed. When the demographic data and STAI scores were compared, the STAI-2 scores of patients in group 3 aged between 18 and 30 years and high school graduates were significantly higher. The mean trait anxiety scores were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. The STAI-1-OR scores in all 3 groups were significantly higher than the STAI-1-A scores. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggested that 1 hour of presurgical inhalation of 0.1-mL and 0.3-mL lavender oil diffusions in 120 mL of water did not have an anxiolytic effect on patients undergoing orthognathic surgery. Future studies will focus on different concentrations, different inhalation times, and higher study samples.