Does Social Media Increase Perioperative Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Impacted Third Molar Surgery?

Background: In anticipation of third molar surgery, patients may experience increased anxiety. Patients frequently access social media platforms and view content about surgical treatments.

Purpose: The study purpose was to measure the level of perioperative anxiety of patients scheduled for third molar surgery exposed to social media and identify factors associated with patient anxiety.

Study design, setting, sample: This is a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing impacted mandibular third molar surgery from September 2021 to August 2022 at the outpatient clinic of Cukurova University School of Dentistry.

Predictor variable: The predictor variable was level of exposure to viewing third molar surgery-related social media before the surgery. Subjects were divided into 2 groups based on social media viewing preferences at their own discretion: the control group involved patients who did not view social media and study group involved patients who viewed social media before the surgery.

Main outcome variables: The outcome variables were patients' anxiety levels assessed using Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory.

Covariates: Covariates were age, sex, education level, history of previous dentist visit, and impacted third molar surgery.

Analyses: Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ² test, Kruskal-Wallis test, one-way analysis of variance, and post hoc tests were used according to data. Level of significance was set at P < .05.

Results: The study sample comprised 162 patients; 82 (50.6%) patients were in the control group and 80 (49.4%) were in the social media group. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale scores of the social media group (11.95 ± 4.50) were statistically higher than the control group (9.66 ± 4.28) (P = .001). The Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory scores of the social media group (46.43 ± 5.80) were statistically higher than the control group (44.52 ± 5.53) (P = .03). There were statistical differences in anxiety levels considering some covariates. In social media group, there were some statistical differences in anxiety levels of patients who viewed different social media type and content.

Conclusion and relevance: Patients who viewed social media on their own preferences before the surgery had higher perioperative anxiety compared to those who did not. The effects of demographic variables, different social media types and content on perioperative anxiety should be taken into account during stress management of the patients.