Comparative Effects of Verbal, Photographic, and Video Information on Dental Anxiety in Mucogingival Surgery Patients: Randomized Clinical Study

Objective: This study aimed to determine which information technique was associated with less dental anxiety in patients undergoing mucogingival surgery. Material and Methods: This prospective study included 90 patients scheduled for mucogingival surgical treatment, divided into 3 groups. Group 1 (n=30) was informed only verbally; Group 2 (n=30) received verbal information supported by visual photographs; and Group 3 (n=30) was informed verbally, supported by detailed videos. Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS), Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), and Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaires were administered to all patients in each group before and after treatment. The visual analog scale, filled out by patients on days 7 and 14 post-surgery, was also used. Differences in anxiety between groups were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis tests, and relationships between variables were assessed with Spearman's correlation analysis. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There is a weak, negative, and statistically significant relationship between age and pre-treatment MDAS variables (r=-0.2615; p=0.013). A significant decrease was observed in MDAS scores from pretreatment to post-treatment in the verbally informed group treatment (p<0.05). There is no significant difference between the group categories in terms of pre-treatment and post-treatment STAI-S scores (p=0.603). Conclusion: Patients who received verbal information had significantly lower MDAS-related dental anxiety scores compared to the other 2 groups. The verbal group in STAI scores showed a notable decrease from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Verbal information had a more positive impact on reducing anxiety than the other interventions.