Does watching an informative video reduce the anxiety in patients undergoing third molar surgery: a systematic review...

Dental anxiety (DA) is characterized by the expression of tension, stress, apprehension, irritation, anger, and frustration experienced by patients during dental appointment. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature to assess the effectiveness of the use of informative videos in reducing DA in patients undergoing 3 M surgeries.

Searches were carried out on MEDLINE (via PubMed), the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Virtual Health Library (VHL), and the Web of Science. Articles published until November 20, 2021, were included. There were no restrictions on the data or language of publication.

A total of 9 randomized clinical trials were included in this review, and five studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 529 patients. There was no significant difference in DA between the groups in the baseline when it was evaluated by any of the tools, indicating sample balancing at the beginning of the study. After intervention (video vs. verbal and/or written orientation) in the preoperative period, DA was assessed again; however, there was no difference in DA between the groups when assessed by the MDAS or STAI-S tools. After 3 M removals, the DA was still not significantly different between the groups when measured by the different considered tools.

Informative videos addressing 3 M removal surgeries used in the preoperative period did not show an influence on the reduction of pre- and postoperative DA when compared to the verbal and/or written informative presentation.