Title
Assessment of salivary cortisol level as stress biomarker in anxious pediatric dental patient before and after sandalwood aromatherapy: A randomized clinical trial
Authors
Simran Bhojwani, Chaya Chhabra*, Khushbu Soni, Eemana Bhat, Angha Patil & Shrushti Thakare
Affiliation
Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Nims Dental College and Hospital, Jaipur Rajasthan, India; *Corresponding author
Simran Bhojwani - E-mail: muskan2000f@gmail.com
Chaya Chhabra - E-mail: chaya.chhabra@gmail.com
Khushbu Soni - E-mail: khushbusoni861@gmail.com
Eemana Bhat - E-mail: eemanabhat0@gmail.com
Angha Patil - E-mail: anghap24@gmail.com
Shrushti Thakare - E-mail: shrushtithakare31@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received August 1, 2026; Revised August 31, 2026; Accepted August 31, 2026, Published August 31, 2026
Abstract
Dental anxiety in children remains a significant clinical problem that can negatively affect behavior, treatment acceptance and overall dental care outcomes. Sandalwood (Santalum album) aromatherapy is a promising nonpharmacological approach to alleviate dental anxiety in children. The study was a randomized controlled trial with 50 children aged 6–9 years, allocated into Group I (sandalwood aromatherapy) and Group II (control). The Venham Picture Scale was used to assess anxiety, and salivary cortisol levels were measured pre- and post-treatment using ELISA. Anxiety scores decreased in both groups, whereas the reduction in salivary cortisol was significantly greater in the sandalwood group (p < 0.001). Thus, data shows that sandalwood aromatherapy effectively reduces physiological stress and may serve as a safe adjunctive strategy for managing dental anxiety in children.
Keywords
Anxious pediatric dental patients, aromatherapy, salivary cortisol
Citation
Bhojwani et al. Bioinformation 22(8): 4924-4927 (2026)
Edited by
Vini Mehta
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
