Hearing, smelling, feeling : the impact of atmospheric cues on a person’s emotional state : a dentist environment field study

Due to the high level of anxiety in dental patients, dentist offices are constantly searching for ways to create a relaxed atmosphere for their patients, especially while waiting for their treatment. This field study aims at finding ways to positively impact patients’ emotions, specifically anxiety in the waiting room of a dentist, with the help of atmospheric cues. Two pre-studies were conducted to choose atmospheric cues that have most potential in the waiting environment of the dentist; piano music and lavender scent. The main study was conducted at the dentist office “Wededent” in Bissendorf, Germany, during a research period of three weeks. Overall, 112 patients participated in the 2 (Music/No Music) x 2 (Scent/No Scent) experimental field study. Results showed that within this field study music had an impact on the avoidance level of patients by increasing it, as well as on the perceived control of patients, by decreasing it. Furthermore an interaction effect of music and scent on arousal showed that scent only has an impact in the absence of music. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that music does not have a direct impact on the emotions of patients in the waiting room of a dentist, while scent can have positive effects on the arousal of patients if used separately from music. Overall, these results show that atmospheric cues should be used sensibly and combining them should happen with caution in the dentist waiting room.