Effect of audiovisual treatment information on relieving anxiety in patients undergoing impacted mandibular third molar removal

Purpose The authors hypothesized that an audiovisual slide presentation that provided treatment information regarding the removal of an impacted mandibular third molar could improve patient knowledge of postoperative complications and decrease anxiety in young adults before and after surgery. A group that received an audiovisual description was compared with a group that received the conventional written description of the procedure. Materials and Methods This randomized clinical trial included young adult patients who required surgical removal of an impacted mandibular third molar and fulfilled the predetermined criteria. The predictor variable was the presentation of an audiovisual slideshow. The audiovisual informed group provided informed consent after viewing an audiovisual slideshow. The control group provided informed consent after reading a written description of the procedure. The outcome variables were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Dental Anxiety Scale, a self-reported anxiety questionnaire, completed immediately before and 1 week after surgery, and a postoperative questionnaire about the level of understanding of potential postoperative complications. The data were analyzed with χ² tests, independent t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Results Fifty-one patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The audiovisual informed group was comprised of 20 men and 5 women; the written informed group was comprised of 21 men and 5 women. The audiovisual informed group remembered significantly more information than the control group about a potential allergic reaction to local anesthesia or medication and potential trismus (P <.05). The audiovisual informed group had lower self-reported anxiety scores than the control group 1 week after surgery (P <.05). Conclusion These results suggested that informing patients of the treatment with an audiovisual slide presentation could improve patient knowledge about postoperative complications and aid in alleviating anxiety after the surgical removal of an impacted mandibular third molar.