Effects of Preoperative Information Methods on Anxiety in Patients Scheduled for Impacted Third Molar Surgery

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Extraction of impacted I3M teeth is the most common surgical procedure and causes the greatest anxiety in patients. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of verbal, live action, and animated video information on a patient's anxiety level before impacted I3M tooth extraction. The null hypothesis of this study was that there was a decrease in the anxiety levels of patients who were informed of the procedure by watching an animated video. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study had prospective cross-sectional design. The study was conducted at the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery. A total of 90 patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into three groups. Patient anxiety was measured at three different timepoints: pre-information (T0), post-information (T1), and post-operation (T2) using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS-A), APAIS-B, APAIS-C, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-1 (STAI-1), STAI-2, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) tests. In addition, the age and gender of the participants were recorded. RESULTS: When the T0, T1, and T2 timepoint values were examined between the groups, significant differences were observed in the MDAS, APAIS-A, APAIS-B, APAIS-C, and HADS-D values. For T1, MDAS, APAIS-B, and APAIS-C values, the anxiety levels of the group watching an animated video were significantly lower than those of the group watching a live action video. CONCLUSION: Although it was determined in the study that the three different types of information led to a decrease in the general anxiety level of patients, the superiority of the animated video in reducing the pre-operation anxiety level should be taken into consideration.