Dentist-Patient Communication on Dental Anxiety Using the Social Media and Timing in Communication

Dentist-Patient Communication on Dental Anxiety Using the Social Media and Timing in Communication: A Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Scales application one week before and one week after impacted tooth extraction.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dental Anxiety; Timing in Dentist-Patient Communication
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Assessment scales-the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.

Detailed Description

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of dentist-patient communication via social media on dental anxiety, and second, to evaluate the appropriate timing of such communications.

Instagram's quick replies system was used to answer patients' questions to alleviate dental anxiety for patients undergoing impacted mandibular third-molar extraction under local anesthesia. Patients were assigned randomly into four groups according to timing of such communications: Communication before operation (n=36), Communication after operation (n=35), Communication before and after operation (n=36), and a control group who received no communication on social media (n=36). Dental anxiety was evaluated one week before and after the surgical operation using recognized assessment scales-the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 143

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Trabzon, Turkey, 61080
    • Efe Can Sivrikaya

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 22 years to 36 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The patients scheduled to undergo impacted lower third molar removal at the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic at Karadeniz Teknik University were selected by randomly between 2018 and 2020

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must be able to use the Instagram platform. I
• Clinicial diagnosis of mesioangular impacted lower third molar according to the classification of Winter and the Pell and Gregory classification (2 or 3/B).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who previously obtained information from social media
• Bad dental history
• Systemic disease
• Pregnant

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

4

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Communication before operation; Communication was established before the operation.	Behavioral: Assessment scales-the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.; STAI-S, like kinetic energy, refers to a palpable reaction or process taking place at a given time and level of intensity. STAI-T, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions. Both of STAI-S and STAI-T scales includes 20 questions. For each question, the scores range from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always) points. For both scales, the sum of the scores ranges from 20 to 80. A score between 36 and 41 refers to a mean anxiety level, with values greater than 41 classified as a high level of anxiety. The MDAS consists of 5 questions that measure anxiety at different stages of dental treatment. The options range from 1 (not anxious) to 5 (very anxious) for each question. The sum of the scores varies from 5 to 25; values between 19 and 25 indicate a high level of dental anxiety. The VAS scale was included in the present study to determine how anxious the patients felt according to their own thoughts. Scores range from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Communication after operation; Communication was established after the operation.	Behavioral: Assessment scales-the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.; STAI-S, like kinetic energy, refers to a palpable reaction or process taking place at a given time and level of intensity. STAI-T, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions. Both of STAI-S and STAI-T scales includes 20 questions. For each question, the scores range from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always) points. For both scales, the sum of the scores ranges from 20 to 80. A score between 36 and 41 refers to a mean anxiety level, with values greater than 41 classified as a high level of anxiety. The MDAS consists of 5 questions that measure anxiety at different stages of dental treatment. The options range from 1 (not anxious) to 5 (very anxious) for each question. The sum of the scores varies from 5 to 25; values between 19 and 25 indicate a high level of dental anxiety. The VAS scale was included in the present study to determine how anxious the patients felt according to their own thoughts. Scores range from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
Communication before and after operation; Communication took place both before and after the operation.	Behavioral: Assessment scales-the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.; STAI-S, like kinetic energy, refers to a palpable reaction or process taking place at a given time and level of intensity. STAI-T, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions. Both of STAI-S and STAI-T scales includes 20 questions. For each question, the scores range from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always) points. For both scales, the sum of the scores ranges from 20 to 80. A score between 36 and 41 refers to a mean anxiety level, with values greater than 41 classified as a high level of anxiety. The MDAS consists of 5 questions that measure anxiety at different stages of dental treatment. The options range from 1 (not anxious) to 5 (very anxious) for each question. The sum of the scores varies from 5 to 25; values between 19 and 25 indicate a high level of dental anxiety. The VAS scale was included in the present study to determine how anxious the patients felt according to their own thoughts. Scores range from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).
No communication; No communication.	Behavioral: Assessment scales-the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.; STAI-S, like kinetic energy, refers to a palpable reaction or process taking place at a given time and level of intensity. STAI-T, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions. Both of STAI-S and STAI-T scales includes 20 questions. For each question, the scores range from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always) points. For both scales, the sum of the scores ranges from 20 to 80. A score between 36 and 41 refers to a mean anxiety level, with values greater than 41 classified as a high level of anxiety. The MDAS consists of 5 questions that measure anxiety at different stages of dental treatment. The options range from 1 (not anxious) to 5 (very anxious) for each question. The sum of the scores varies from 5 to 25; values between 19 and 25 indicate a high level of dental anxiety. The VAS scale was included in the present study to determine how anxious the patients felt according to their own thoughts. Scores range from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual analog scale (VAS)	The VAS scale was included in the present study to determine how anxious the patients felt according to their own thoughts. Scores range from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (extreme anxiety).	2 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T and STAI-S)	STAI-S, like kinetic energy, refers to a palpable reaction or process taking place at a given time and level of intensity. STAI-T, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions. Both of STAI-S and STAI-T scales includes 20 questions. For each question, the scores range from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always) points. For both scales, the sum of the scores ranges from 20 to 80. A score between 36 and 41 refers to a mean anxiety level, with values greater than 41 classified as a high level of anxiety.	2 weeks
Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS)	The MDAS consists of 5 questions that measure anxiety at different stages of dental treatment. The options range from 1 (not anxious) to 5 (very anxious) for each question. The sum of the scores varies from 5 to 25; values between 19 and 25 indicate a high level of dental anxiety.	2 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Karadeniz Technical University
• Collaborators: Onur Yilmaz; Pinar Sivrikaya

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 4, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 8, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): May 10, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 11, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 29, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): July 1, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 1, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 29, 2020
• Last Verified: June 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Communication; Dental anxiety; Social Media
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: KaradenizTU01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No