Does Watching Videos Increase the Perioperative Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Third Molar Surgery? A Randomized...

The extraction of third molar teeth has usually been associated with a high level of anxiety, mainly from a lack of knowledge. We compared the effect of different informed consent formats on the perioperative anxiety level of patients scheduled for third molar surgery and explored the effects of watching a video about the surgical procedure from the Internet before the procedure on the patients' anxiety level.

A total of 113 patients who had been admitted for the removal of impacted third molars were randomly divided into control (verbal information) and study (video plus verbal information) groups. The anxiety level was assessed using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, and Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Pain was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS).

The results showed that the study group had higher anxiety scores than the control group immediately after the consent process (P < .05). In all groups, the anxiety levels showed a decreasing trend after surgery. The VAS scores did not show significant differences when stratified by gender or educational level. No correlation was observed between age and the other variables.

According to our results, the patients who watched the procedural video in an uncontrolled situation from websites before the operation were prone to high anxiety. The verbal and written consent format resulted in satisfactory anxiety management. Further studies are needed to clarify whether the use of video consent with different formats, such as animation, would be more effective in managing anxiety when applied carefully and under the control of a clinician.