Effectiveness of Telephonic and Digital Postoperative Follow-up Communication Strategies on Patient Compliance, Clinical Recovery, and Quality of Life After Dental Extraction (CONNECT)
Effectiveness of Telephonic and Digital Postoperative Follow-up Communication Strategies on Patient Compliance, Clinical Recovery, and Oral Health-related Quality of Life Following Dental Extraction
Effectiveness of Telephonic and Digital Postoperative Follow-up Communication Strategies on Patient Compliance, Clinical Recovery, and Oral Health-related Quality of Life Following Dental Extraction
(CONNECT Study - CONtinuous post-operative NETwork Communication to Enhance Compliance after Tooth Extraction)
Tooth extraction is one of the most commonly performed dental procedures. Although most patients recover uneventfully, complications such as pain, swelling, bleeding, infection, and dry socket may occur if postoperative instructions are not followed correctly. Dentists routinely provide verbal and written instructions after tooth extraction; however, patients may forget or misunderstand these instructions once they leave the clinic, resulting in reduced compliance and delayed recovery.
Previous research conducted at our institution demonstrated that postoperative telephone follow-up improved patient compliance with post-extraction instructions compared with routine verbal and written instructions alone. Building on these findings, the present study aims to evaluate whether different methods of postoperative communication-including telephone calls, digital messaging, and a combination of both-can further improve patient compliance and clinical recovery following dental extraction.
Participants undergoing routine dental extraction will receive the standard postoperative verbal and written instructions provided by the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Depending on the assigned study group, participants may also receive structured telephone follow-up, digital communication via a secure messaging platform, or both during the early postoperative period. The information provided through these communication methods will reinforce the same postoperative instructions routinely given in the clinic and will not alter the clinical treatment received.
Participants will be followed for one week after the extraction. Information will be collected regarding their adherence to postoperative instructions, pain levels, occurrence of complications such as dry socket, and oral health-related quality of life using validated questionnaires. These assessments will help determine whether additional postoperative communication improves patient recovery and overall treatment outcomes.
The study involves minimal risk because the communication methods are intended only to reinforce standard postoperative care and provide patients with an opportunity to clarify any concerns they may have during recovery. Participation in the study is entirely voluntary, and patients may withdraw at any time without affecting the quality of their dental treatment.
The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence on the most effective postoperative communication strategy following dental extraction. This may help improve patient education, enhance compliance with postoperative instructions, reduce preventable complications, and support the integration of digital communication technologies into routine dental practice.
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Contact
- Name: Sundar Ramalingam
- Phone Number: 00966532092386
- Email: smunusamy@ksu.edu.sa
Study Locations
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Riyadh Region
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Riyadh, Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia, 11545
- College of Dentistry and Dental University Hospital, King Saud University Medical City
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Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria - Participants must meet all of the following criteria:
Adults aged 18 years or older. Patients undergoing simple or surgical dental extraction under local anesthesia at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Able to understand and communicate in Arabic or English. Own a smartphone with access to a mobile messaging application (e.g., WhatsApp) and be able to receive telephone calls.
Willing and able to provide written informed consent. Willing to comply with the study protocol and attend the scheduled postoperative follow-up visits.
Exclusion Criteria - Participants meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded:
Patients younger than 18 years of age. Patients unable to provide informed consent. Patients with cognitive impairment, psychiatric illness, or neurological disorders that may interfere with understanding or complying with postoperative instructions.
Patients with hearing or speech impairment preventing effective telephone communication.
Patients without access to a smartphone or unable to use mobile messaging applications independently.
Patients requiring hospital admission following dental extraction. Patients undergoing extraction under general anesthesia. Patients who are unwilling or unable to complete the scheduled follow-up assessments.
Patients participating in another clinical trial that may influence postoperative recovery or study outcomes.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Triple
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
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Active Comparator: Standard Postoperative Care
Participants allocated to this arm will receive the department's standard postoperative care following dental extraction, consisting of verbal postoperative instructions from the treating clinician and a standardized written instruction sheet.
No additional telephonic or digital follow-up communication will be provided beyond the routine postoperative review.
This arm serves as the reference group for comparison with the intervention arms.
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Standard postoperative care consists of routine verbal instructions provided immediately after dental extraction, along with a standardized written instruction sheet.
The instructions include guidance on bleeding control, medication adherence, oral hygiene, dietary recommendations, saline mouth rinses, smoking avoidance, and measures to promote uncomplicated healing.
No additional structured telephonic or digital follow-up communication is provided beyond the routine postoperative review.
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Experimental: Telephonic Follow-up
Participants allocated to this arm will receive standard postoperative verbal and written instructions in addition to structured telephone follow-up communication during the first postoperative week.
Telephone calls will reinforce postoperative instructions, including adherence to medications, oral hygiene, dietary recommendations, saline mouth rinses, smoking cessation, and management of common postoperative concerns.
The calls will also provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions regarding their recovery.
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Telephonic postoperative follow-up consists of structured telephone calls delivered by trained study personnel during the first postoperative week following dental extraction.
Calls reinforce routine postoperative instructions, assess patient understanding, encourage adherence to medications and self-care recommendations, address common postoperative concerns such as pain or bleeding, and provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions regarding their recovery.
A standardized communication script will be used to ensure consistency across participants.
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Experimental: Digital Follow-up
Participants allocated to this arm will receive standard postoperative verbal and written instructions together with structured digital follow-up communication during the first postoperative week.
Digital communication will be delivered via a secure mobile messaging platform and will include reminder messages, educational infographics, and short instructional videos to reinforce routine postoperative instructions.
Participants may also communicate questions related to their postoperative recovery through the same platform.
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Digital postoperative follow-up consists of structured communication delivered through a secure mobile messaging platform during the first postoperative week following dental extraction.
Participants will receive standardized reminder messages, educational infographics, and short instructional videos that reinforce routine postoperative instructions on medication adherence, oral hygiene, diet, saline mouth rinses, smoking avoidance, and management of common postoperative symptoms.
Digital communication will follow a predefined schedule and standardized content to ensure uniformity across participants.
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Experimental: Hybrid Telephonic and Digital Follow-up
Participants allocated to this arm will receive standard postoperative verbal and written instructions, along with structured telephone follow-up and digital communication during the first postoperative week.
Telephone calls and digital educational materials will reinforce postoperative instructions and provide participants with opportunities to clarify concerns during recovery.
This arm represents the highest level of postoperative communication support.
It will be compared with the other study arms to evaluate its effectiveness in improving compliance, clinical recovery, and oral health-related quality of life.
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Telephonic postoperative follow-up consists of structured telephone calls delivered by trained study personnel during the first postoperative week following dental extraction.
Calls reinforce routine postoperative instructions, assess patient understanding, encourage adherence to medications and self-care recommendations, address common postoperative concerns such as pain or bleeding, and provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions regarding their recovery.
A standardized communication script will be used to ensure consistency across participants.
Digital postoperative follow-up consists of structured communication delivered through a secure mobile messaging platform during the first postoperative week following dental extraction.
Participants will receive standardized reminder messages, educational infographics, and short instructional videos that reinforce routine postoperative instructions on medication adherence, oral hygiene, diet, saline mouth rinses, smoking avoidance, and management of common postoperative symptoms.
Digital communication will follow a predefined schedule and standardized content to ensure uniformity across participants.
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What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
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Patient compliance with postoperative instructions
Time Frame: Postoperative Day 7
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Patient compliance will be assessed using a structured postoperative compliance questionnaire evaluating adherence to standardized post-extraction instructions, including medication use, oral hygiene, saline mouth rinses, dietary recommendations, smoking avoidance, and clot protection.
The total compliance score will be compared between the study groups.
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Postoperative Day 7
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Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
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Postoperative pain intensity
Time Frame: 6 hours, Postoperative Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7
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Postoperative pain will be measured using a 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents the worst imaginable pain.
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6 hours, Postoperative Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7
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Incidence of alveolar osteitis (dry socket)
Time Frame: Postoperative Day 3 and Day 7
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The occurrence of alveolar osteitis will be assessed clinically using standardized diagnostic criteria, including increasing postoperative pain associated with partial or complete loss of the blood clot requiring clinical management.
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Postoperative Day 3 and Day 7
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Oral health-related quality of life
Time Frame: Baseline (preoperative) and Postoperative Day 7
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Oral health-related quality of life will be assessed using the validated Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire.
Changes in OHIP-14 scores from baseline will be compared among the study groups.
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Baseline (preoperative) and Postoperative Day 7
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Patient satisfaction with postoperative communication
Time Frame: Postoperative Day 7
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Participant satisfaction with the postoperative communication strategy will be evaluated using a structured questionnaire incorporating a five-point Likert scale assessing clarity of instructions, ease of communication, confidence during recovery, and overall satisfaction.
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Postoperative Day 7
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Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Publications and helpful links
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
- Pain
- Neurologic Manifestations
- Mouth Diseases
- Stomatognathic Diseases
- Postoperative Complications
- Pathologic Processes
- Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms
- Behavior
- Signs and Symptoms
- Treatment Adherence and Compliance
- Health Behavior
- Patient Acceptance of Health Care
- Pain, Postoperative
- Dry Socket
- Patient Compliance
Other Study ID Numbers
- E-22-6719
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
IPD Plan Description
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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