Effect of audio-visual treatment information on hemodynamic parameters during the transalveolar extraction of mandibular third molars: A randomized clinical trial

Objectives: Anxiety regarding dental procedures is a universal challenge for every patient and the treating dental surgeon. Measurement of heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation is now commonly accepted by the scientific community as an accurate and objective measurement of the patient's anxiety compared to other subjective assessments. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of educational videos demonstrating transalveolar extraction of mandibular third molars on hemodynamic parameters. Materials and Methods: The study was designed as a prospective clinical trial. The modified dental anxiety scale was used to assess the preoperative anxiety of the patient. Participating patients were divided randomly into two groups (verbal and video group). Each patient's hemodynamic parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were measured in the waiting area, sitting on the dental chair, incision, bone drilling, tooth elevation, suturing, and in the postoperative area. All the analysis was done using the SPSS version 18 software. Results: Overall, there were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to hemodynamic parameters. The mean heart rate and blood pressure of patients between both groups were comparatively consistent and did not very much from the onset of procedure to the end. On the other hand, oxygen saturation levels were statistically significantly higher in the video group at the onset of incision and drilling. Conclusions: Videos can be interpreted in different ways by patients. Overall, hemodynamic parameters are overall not influenced with videos.