Smells like dental spirit
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 19th November 2024
Most people are familiar with the idea that a particular smell can trigger strong memories, but as we rely on sight and sound so heavily in our daily lives smell is a sense that often goes overlooked.[1]
We also know that negative memories of dental treatment are significantly related to dental fear, and aspects of reliving an experience are particularly important in affecting this: sight, of course, as well as sound, taste, and smell.[2]
Integrating the latest psychological findings appropriate to dental care provides a new opportunity to shape and improve the patient experience, and affect oral health positively. Dental professionals should know how smell can affect patient fear and anxiety, and why it may be beneficial to implement changes around the practice for long-term patient and clinician benefits.
The power of scent
Dental anxiety is presented through a wide manner of actions and expressions. Heart rate, breathing, and sweating all increase as a result of fear when a ‘dentophobic’ patient is introduced to dental environments and stimuli.[3] Unease concerning the dentist may also prompt patients to avoid attending the practice, which affects their access to dental treatment, and ultimately the quality of their oral health.
Creating an anxiety-free environment is a clear goal for any clinician, with obvious benefits for their patients. Smells such as cut dentine and bone, and materials containing eugenol have been identified as potential triggers for anxiety.[4] The smell of eugenol, in particular, can cling to the dental practice, but it is implemented widely in clinical dentistry because of its anti-inflammatory and local anaesthetic effects.[5]
For patients, the scent may evoke memories of previous unpleasant dental care experiences, creating unease whilst they simply wait for an appointment.[6]
Does it hurt?
Anxiety is also thought to affect pain perception in some dental treatments.[7] When patients are more nervous about a procedure, they experience a greater physical reaction to painful treatment, which can lead to new negative memories. If clinicians can reduce patient anxiety, for example, by changing the odour within a dental environment, individuals may perceive their treatments as less painful – an unequivocal positive. This can help to form new, positive memories of the practice and dental care, which could prompt return visits and greater attention paid to oral health and hygiene.
The role of olfaction is being explored further in pain management in more generalised healthcare. Whilst changing what patients smell cannot affect pain threshold or tolerance, it may impact the qualitative (intensity) measures of pain in response to stimuli.[8] Studies have shown that when patients experience unpleasant odours, they have reported experiencing greater levels of pain and unpleasantness.8 Therefore, by implementing satisfying smells within the practice, patients could experience reduced pain intensity.
Clinical nose
If patients can have their experience of dental care affected by their sense of smell – going as far as influencing their perception of pain – what is to say that clinicians cannot be impacted too?
Olfactory fatigue, the phenomenon where the body fails to detect or distinguish common scents in our surroundings, is associated with areas where we spend a lot of time.[9] For dental professionals, the everyday smells of the practice may not be of note.
However, a 2018 study[10] observed that the scent of anxiety body odour (ABO) can break through this barrier, and influence the way clinicians work. Fourth-year dental students that were exposed to ABO performed clinical tasks at a significantly reduced quality than those confronted by rest body odour or no additional scent at all. While the smell may not have been perceptible, it had an unconscious and quantifiable result.
Smelling better
Scents in dentistry are essential when ensuring patients enter the chair anxiety-free, and that they receive high-quality care. Implementing effective solutions throughout your practice that can eliminate odours and provide fresh, pleasant fragrances can affect how your practice is perceived.
Consider the Initial Essence air freshener from Initial Medical, featuring state-of-the-art oxygen fuel cell technology for long-lasting fragrance delivery. Clinicians can choose from four fragrances to rejuvenate their clinical space including; (Adore) a sophisticated fragrance that combines fresh apple notes with amber and spices; (Elate) a designer fruity, floral fragrance with musk notes; and (Spring) with intense flora notes of ylang, lavender, geranium, plus hints of fresh cologne and lemon.
Initial Essence is effective against transient odours, such as tobacco and sweat, and continuous fragrance dispersal means the desired intensity of your chosen scent is consistent over time, unlike aerosols which can have significant gaps between sprays, or gravity and passive systems.
If a simple change to the smell of a practice’s surroundings can impact patient anxiety, pain perception, clinical performance, and overall treatment experience, then surely it’s worth exploring the changes that can be made in your practice. After all, the smell of the dental practice isn’t something you would like patients to kick up a stink about, right?
To find out more, get in touch at 0808 304 7411 or visit the website today www.initial.co.uk/medical
Author:
Rebecca Waters
Rebecca has worked in the healthcare sector for the past 20 years and earned a BSc Chemistry (Hons) prior to joining Rentokil Initial in 2003. She works within the Research and Development team and keeps up-to-date on all changes within the clinical waste management industry, as well as the specialist hygiene and infection control industries, and is an active member of the CIWM and HWMA. Following roles as an Analytical Chemist and Hygiene Chemist, she has worked in a variety of leading marketing roles since 2006, making her an expert within the industry. She is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Marketing, an FCIM. Rebecca loves spending time outdoors and in the water – whether walking, camping, or swimming – and completed a focus on environmental studies during her university degree. She is proud to be pushing a sustainability agenda throughout her work.
About Initial Medical
Initial Medical set the standard in healthcare and infectious waste management in the UK, providing a reliable, effective and fully compliant service built around customer needs and delivered by our highly trained local teams. We are ISO 9001:2015 accredited, with technology fully integrated into our operations, providing full traceability of service delivery, electronic waste documentation and the best customer experience possible. We also offer innovative healthcare waste management services and infection control products, to help break the chain of transmission and prevent cross contamination.
Initial Medical are a company with a ‘World Class’ Health and Safety record, and ISO 45001:2018 accreditation. We are also accredited to ISO 14001:2015 environmental standards, and pride ourselves on our sustainable approach with a focus on delivering eco-friendly products and operational solutions.
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[1] Kostka, J. K., & Bitzenhofer, S. H. (2022). How the sense of smell influences cognition throughout life. Neuroforum, 28(3), 177-185.
[2] Risløv Staugaard, S., Jøssing, M., & Krohn, C. (2017). The role of negative and positive memories in fear of dental treatment. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 77(1), 39-46.
[3] Carter, A. E., Carter, G., Boschen, M., AlShwaimi, E., & George, R. (2014). Pathways of fear and anxiety in dentistry: A review. World Journal of Clinical Cases: WJCC, 2(11), 642.
[4] Alkanan, S. A. M., Alhaweri, H. S., Khalifa, G. A., & Ata, S. M. S. (2023). Dental pain perception and emotional changes: on the relationship between dental anxiety and olfaction. BMC oral health, 23(1), 175.
[5] Markowitz, K., Moynihan, M., Liu, M., & Kim, S. (1992). Biologic properties of eugenol and zinc oxide-eugenol: a clinically oriented review. Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, 73(6), 729-737.
[6] Toet, A., Smeets, M. A., van Dijk, E., Dijkstra, D., & van den Reijen, L. (2010). Effects of pleasant ambient fragrances on dental fear: Comparing apples and oranges. Chemosensory perception, 3, 182-189.
[7] Sakamoto, E., & Yokoyama, T. (2018). Pain and anxiety in dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery focusing on the relation between pain and anxiety. Annals of Pain Medicine, 1(1), 1002.
[8] Sandri, A., Cecchini, M. P., Riello, M., Zanini, A., Nocini, R., Fiorio, M., & Tinazzi, M. (2021). Pain, smell, and taste in adults: A narrative review of multisensory perception and interaction. Pain and Therapy, 10, 245-268.
[9] Seladi-Schulman, J., Martinez, K., (2020). What Is Nose Blindness and How Can It Affect You? Healthline. (Online) Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/nose-blindness [Accessed August 2024]
[10] Singh, P. B., Young, A., Lind, S., Leegaard, M. C., Capuozzo, A., & Parma, V. (2018). Smelling anxiety chemosignals impairs clinical performance of dental students. Chemical Senses, 43(6), 411-417.
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