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Effectiveness of Telephonic and Digital Postoperative Follow-up Communication Strategies on Patient Compliance, Clinical Recovery, and Quality of Life After Dental Extraction (CONNECT)

3 de agosto de 2026 actualizado por: Dr. Sundar Ramalingam, King Saud University

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.

Descripción general del estudio

Tipo de estudio

Intervencionista

Inscripción (Estimado)

216

Fase

  • No aplica

Contactos y Ubicaciones

Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.

Estudio Contacto

  • Nombre: Sundar Ramalingam
  • Número de teléfono: 00966532092386
  • Correo electrónico: smunusamy@ksu.edu.sa

Ubicaciones de estudio

    • Riyadh Region
      • Riyadh, Riyadh Region, Arabia Saudita, 11545
        • College of Dentistry and Dental University Hospital, King Saud University Medical City

Criterios de participación

Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.

Criterio de elegibilidad

Edades elegibles para estudiar

  • Adulto
  • Adulto Mayor

Acepta Voluntarios Saludables

No

Descripción

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.

Plan de estudios

Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.

¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?

Detalles de diseño

  • Propósito principal: Cuidados de apoyo
  • Asignación: Aleatorizado
  • Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
  • Enmascaramiento: Triple

Armas e Intervenciones

Grupo de participantes/brazo
Intervención / Tratamiento
Comparador activo: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

¿Qué mide el estudio?

Medidas de resultado primarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Patient compliance with postoperative instructions
Periodo de tiempo: Postoperative Day 7
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.
Postoperative Day 7

Medidas de resultado secundarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Postoperative pain intensity
Periodo de tiempo: 6 hours, Postoperative Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7
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.
6 hours, Postoperative Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7
Incidence of alveolar osteitis (dry socket)
Periodo de tiempo: Postoperative Day 3 and Day 7
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.
Postoperative Day 3 and Day 7
Oral health-related quality of life
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline (preoperative) and Postoperative Day 7
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.
Baseline (preoperative) and Postoperative Day 7
Patient satisfaction with postoperative communication
Periodo de tiempo: Postoperative Day 7
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.
Postoperative Day 7

Colaboradores e Investigadores

Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.

Patrocinador

Publicaciones y enlaces útiles

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Fechas de registro del estudio

Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados ​​por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.

Fechas importantes del estudio

Inicio del estudio (Estimado)

6 de agosto de 2026

Finalización primaria (Estimado)

1 de abril de 2027

Finalización del estudio (Estimado)

1 de julio de 2027

Fechas de registro del estudio

Enviado por primera vez

3 de agosto de 2026

Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

3 de agosto de 2026

Publicado por primera vez (Actual)

7 de agosto de 2026

Actualizaciones de registros de estudio

Última actualización publicada (Actual)

7 de agosto de 2026

Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

3 de agosto de 2026

Última verificación

1 de agosto de 2026

Más información

Términos relacionados con este estudio

Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)

¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?

NO

Descripción del plan IPD

Individual participant data will not be made publicly available due to participant confidentiality and institutional data protection policies. De-identified datasets may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to Institutional Review Board approval and applicable institutional regulations.

Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio

Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .

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