The effect of a preoperative informative video on the perception of pain in youths undergoing third molar extraction: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The extraction of the third molar is an invasive procedure and is potentially traumatic for the patient. Preparatory procedures may be used for the management of pain and emotional responses, resulting in a better recovery process for patients. The aim of the study evaluates the effects of a preparatory procedure using an animated informative video on post-surgical pain responses after third molar extraction on youths during the postoperative follow-up. METHODS: 140 patients undergoing third molar extraction were randomly divided into two groups: control (CG) and experimental (EG). For pain assessment, the short-form McGill pain questionnaire was given once before the procedure and four times after the surgery, and the amount of postoperative analgesic consumption was recorded. The informative video was presented to the EG after the first assessment. For data analysis, ANOVA and Tukey tests (p ≤ 0.05) were used. Data analysis indicated that the EG patients reported reduced pain perception for all pain indexes. RESULTS: Significant between-group differences were observed for Sensory and Affective Rank Pain Indexes (PRI-S and PRI-A, respectively), as well as for Global Assessment, at stages 2, 3 and 4 (p=0.0001; p=0.0027; p=0.0001). For Present Pain Intensity, a significant difference between groups was observed (p=0.0004) at stages 3, 4 and 5. The postoperative consumption of analgesics was lower in the EG (p=0.0001), indicating higher medicine consumption by CG patients. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the preoperative informative video effectively reduced pain perception and the consumption of analgesics.