Effect of the presence of an aquarium in the waiting area on the stress, anxiety and mood of adult dental patients: A controlled clinical trial.

Abstract

BackgroundInteraction with fish is known to reduce stress and anxiety in humans.ObjectiveThis trial evaluated the effect of an aquarium present in a geriatric dental clinic waiting-area (WA) on blood pressure (BP), heart-rate (HR), anxiety, and mood of waiting patients.MethodsParticipants were recruited into three groups: control (CG): WA without aquarium; partially-stocked aquarium (PSA): aquarium without fish; fully-stocked aquarium (FSA): aquarium with fish. BP and HR of the participants were recorded upon arrival and after 20-minutes of waiting, along with anxiety [State trait anxiety inventory (STAI-6)] and mood [Feeling scale (FS), Felt arousal scale (FAS)] scores. A purpose-built questionnaire evaluated the subjective assessment of the participants' experience in the WA. ANOVA with repeated measures and nonparametric tests were used for statistical analysis (pResults392 patients (mean age: 65.07±16.9y) completed this trial. There was an effect of time on the BP [systolic: F(1, 120) = 44.82, pConclusionsThere was no influence of the presence of an aquarium on the patients' blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety, or mood.