Effects of Music Therapy on Pain, Anxiety, and Quality of Life During Lower Third Molar Extraction: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Third molar extractions are commonly associated with anxiety, pain, and a negative impact on oral health-related quality of life, potentially compromising patient recovery and overall well-being. Nonpharmacological approaches, such as music therapy, have been investigated as adjunctive strategies to improve perioperative outcomes. This randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial evaluated the effects of music therapy in 42 patients undergoing third molar extraction, who were allocated into two groups: with and without music therapy. The primary outcomes were pain, assessed using the visual analog scale, and anxiety, measured using the Dental Anxiety Scale, while oral health-related quality of life, evaluated using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), was considered a secondary outcome. The control group showed higher systolic blood pressure and respiratory rate. Pain levels increased intraoperatively and decreased postoperatively in both groups, with lower immediate postoperative pain scores observed in the music therapy group. No significant differences were found regarding anxiety levels or quality-of-life outcomes. These findings suggest that music therapy may contribute to the reduction of physiological parameters, such as blood pressure and respiratory rate, as well as participants pain perception, supporting its use as a complementary nonpharmacological strategy in third molar extraction procedures.