Association of Valeriana officinalis L. AND Passiflora incarnata L. for the Reduction of Dental Anxiety

Abstract

Dental procedures can cause anxiety, nervousness and fear. Dental surgeons are therefore increasingly prescribing drugs to control anxiety. Medicinal plants such as Valeriana officinalis L. and Passiflora incarnata L., are known to have anxiolytic and sedative properties however, there is a lack of clinical studies in the literature on the use of herbal medicines in dentistry. This this in mind, this study aims to verify the efficacy of using V. officinalis L. and P. incarnata L. (combined) to reduce anxiety in odontophobic patients. This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) was used to identify patients with fear and anxiety about dental treatment. Patients classified as moderately or extremely anxious ingested a capsule of Passiflora [300 mg]/Valerian [100mg] or placebo (control group) one hour before undergoing the dental procedure.  A socio-economic questionnaire was also administered and the participants’ heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation were measured. Of the 146 patients, 65,1% were women and 34,9% were men. The prevalence of anxiety in women was higher than in men. When comparing the anxiety score before and after dental treatment, there was a statistically significant difference for those who used herbal medicines when compared to those who received placebo. The combined use of Valeriana officinalis L. and Passiflora incarnata L. was effective in patients with moderate and severe anxiety and is also a therapeutic option to the commonly used benzodiazepines