Recent research has sparked a discussion over the best ways to treat young children with caries in their primary dentition. When children usually fear injections and the dental environment, there is a need to ensure that they have a smooth dental experience. Therefore the study aims to differentiate the effect of aromatherapy and conscious sedation in reducing dental anxiety among children undergoing extraction. This randomized clinical trial was conducted in a private dental college for patients who visit the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry in Chennai. The study population was 6-9 years old children and 30 of them were divided randomly into aromatherapy and conscious sedation groups. A Venham picture scale was employed to assess dental anxiety and a digital pulse oximeter for pulse and oxygen saturation. A sphygmomanometer was used to assess the blood pressure. All the parameters were assessed before and after the extraction. SPSS version 23.0 was used for statistical analysis of the data in which independent and paired t-tests were done to assess the distribution of difference in the parameters. The mean age of the aromatherapy and conscious sedation group were 7.93 土1.033 and 7.20 土1.612 respectively. In both groups, pulse and anxiety levels were significantly reduced post-extraction. Also post-extraction, oxygen levels were significantly higher in conscious sedation groups. Both aromatherapy and conscious sedation were effective ways to reduce anxiety and heart rate in children undergoing dental procedure.
