老年痴呆症是老年人最常见的神经精神障碍之一，其常见的类型就是阿尔茨海默症(AD)。该病病程长，给个人、家庭和社会带来沉重的负担，临床尚无根治药物。探索有效便捷的防治和保健养护方法、探讨其作用机制是目前老年痴呆症研究的重点。本文从临床和实验两方面，综述了芳香疗法及其精油对老年性痴呆症的研究进展，讨论了芳香疗法及其精油的优势特点和作用机制，并进行了研究展望，为老年性痴呆症的辅助治疗和保健养护提供参考。
Senile dementia is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders among the elderly, of which the most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The disease has a long course of development and brings heavy burden to individuals, families and society, but lacks any clinical cure. At present, dementia research is focused on exploring its effective mechanisms as well as the most effective and practical methods of prevention and treatment, health care and maintenance. This paper reviews new research on clinical and experimental uses of aromatherapy to treat senile dementia, discusses the advantages, characteristics and mechanisms of aromatherapy and the essential oils it applies, and provides references for adjuvant treatment and health care of senile dementia.