Background: Dental root canal treatment is effective for pulpitis and periapical periodontitis. However, pain, fear, and the noise of dental drill during the treatment often cause dental anxiety, which influence the patients' compliance to the treatment. This study aimed to observe whether therapeutic Chinese music therapy or. Western classic music therapy can help to relieve the anxiety and thus the sense of pain of the patients requiring dental root canal treatment, and to check whether it improves the patients' compliance of dental root canal treatment. Methods: This was a randomized, single-blind, parallel, controlled clinical trial. 90 adult patients were recruited to attend the project. The patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: Group A was blank control group, Group B and Group C were therapeutic Chinese music group and Western classic music respectively. Group A received conventional dental root canal treatment. Group B listened to therapeutic Chinese music and Group C listened to Mozart K.448 while receiving dental root canal treatment. All the objects were asked to complete dental root canal treatment during 2 times appointments. The patients' pulse rate and blood pressure were recorded. Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) were used to assess the patients' degree of anxiety. Visual analogue scale (VAS), and Post-treatment. VAS questionnaire were used to evaluate the patients' degree of pain anticipated before the treatment. Statistical analysis were carried out by SPSS 17.0, and it is considered to be statistical significance when P< 0.05. Results: 1. There was no difference on general demographic data and baseline pulse rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP) values, Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores, and modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) scores (p > 0.05). 2. The change of pulse rate (p < 0.05), SBP values (p < 0.01) and dental anxiety degree (p < 0.05) before and after dental root canal treatment all decreased significantly in the music therapy groups. 3. The diastolic blood pressure (DBP) change and the VAS value of pain among the groups were not significant (P >0.05). 4. The degree of satisfaction for dental treatment and compliance of the patients among the groups differed statistically (p < 0.05). And degree of satisfaction of the therapeutic Chinese music group was the highest. Conclusions: Music therapy in dental root canal treatment is helpful for relieving patients' anxiety, making them feel more relaxed, intended to receipt and referral further treatment. This trial approved and offered evidence for dentistry that music therapy as anxiolytic method can improve compliance of patient who need dental root canal treatment.
