Multi-Modal Education to Improve Compliance, Knowledge Retention & Anxiety After Dental Extractions

NCT ID: NCT07191132

Last Updated: 2025-09-24

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

208 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-03-27

Study Completion Date

2024-08-05

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether using a new Post-Dental Extraction Care Kit (PDEC-kit) can help patients better understand and follow their post-extraction instructions, and whether it can also reduce dental anxiety, compared with verbal instructions alone. The study is being conducted among adult patients (18 years and older) undergoing routine tooth extractions under local anaesthesia at a university oral surgery clinic.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

Does the PDEC-kit improve patients' knowledge retention about post-extraction care?

Does the PDEC-kit improve patient compliance with important post-extraction behaviours (e.g., medication use, diet, activity restrictions)?

Does the PDEC-kit reduce patient anxiety compared with standard verbal instructions?

Researchers will compare two groups of patients:

One group will receive the usual standardised verbal instructions.

The other group will receive the same verbal instructions plus the PDEC-kit.

Participants in the PDEC-kit group will:

Watch a short educational video on post-extraction care.

Review illustrated flashcards showing key "dos and don'ts."

Observe a live demonstration using a dental model to learn how to place and bite on gauze correctly.

Take home a bilingual brochure (English and Bahasa Melayu), also available via QR code.

All participants will be asked to answer short questionnaires about their knowledge, behaviour, and dental anxiety at three time points: before the extraction, immediately after receiving instructions, and one week later.

Detailed Description

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Scientific Rationale

Tooth extraction is one of the most frequently performed dental procedures. Despite its routine nature, poor comprehension of post-operative instructions may lead to complications such as alveolar osteitis, infection, or delayed wound healing. Evidence from health communication research shows that patients retain only a small proportion of verbal-only instructions, particularly in settings of heightened anxiety. Multimedia learning theory (Mayer, 2021) suggests that simultaneous delivery of verbal, visual, and kinesthetic information enhances encoding and recall.

Building on this theory, the Post-Dental Extraction Care Kit (PDEC-kit) was developed. It integrates audiovisual, pictorial, and demonstration-based teaching into a structured package that supplements standard verbal guidance. The central hypothesis is that the PDEC-kit improves knowledge retention, compliance, and anxiety outcomes compared to verbal instructions alone.

Study Design Overview

This is a prospective, single-centre, two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Participants are assigned to intervention or control groups in a 1:1 ratio. Allocation concealment was ensured using block randomisation with opaque, sequentially numbered envelopes. Operators performing extractions were blinded to allocation.

The sample size was determined by a priori power analysis using G\*Power 3.1, based on a medium effect size (f = 0.25), α = 0.05, power = 0.80, and repeated measures across two groups. The minimum required sample was 86; recruitment was increased to 208 to account for attrition.

Intervention Details

Control arm: Standardised verbal post-extraction instructions delivered by a single calibrated investigator to minimise variability.

Intervention arm: Same standardised verbal instructions plus the PDEC-kit, which consists of:

Educational video (2 minutes): Demonstrates correct gauze placement, oral hygiene, and activity restrictions.

Illustrated flashcards: Show simplified dos and don'ts using pictorial reinforcement.

Live model demonstration: Gauze placement demonstrated on a dental model for kinesthetic learning.

Bilingual brochure (English and Bahasa Melayu): Provides at-home reference; a QR code enables access to a digital version.

All components were pilot-tested for clarity and developed by a multidisciplinary panel of oral surgeons, dental educators, and communication specialists.

Assessment Schedule

Data collection was performed at three points:

T0: Baseline (pre-extraction) - demographic data, knowledge baseline, and anxiety baseline.

T1: Immediately after instruction - post-intervention knowledge and anxiety assessments.

T2: One-week follow-up via telephone - reassessment of knowledge retention, anxiety, compliance, and complications.

Measurement Instruments

Knowledge retention: Four-item structured quiz (binary scoring).

Dental anxiety: Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear (IDAF-4C+, validated Malay version).

Compliance: Structured checklist covering analgesic use, diet, hygiene, activity, and smoking behaviour.

Pain: 10-point Likert scale.

Complications: Self-reported bleeding, infection, or alveolar osteitis, confirmed by clinic review where indicated.

Analytic Framework

Data were analysed using SPSS v29. Statistical procedures included:

Descriptive statistics for demographic and baseline variables.

Independent-samples t-test for between-group comparisons.

Paired-samples t-test for within-group pre-post changes.

Repeated measures ANOVA (Greenhouse-Geisser correction applied when sphericity violated).

Chi-square test for categorical variables (compliance, complication rates).

Spearman's correlation for anxiety-pain association. Significance threshold: p \< 0.05.

Conditions

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Tooth Extraction Postoperative Complications Patient Compliance Dental Anxiety Patient Education as Topic

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Caregivers
Care providers performing the dental extractions were blinded to group allocation. Randomization occurred only after the extraction was completed, and the operating clinician was not involved in delivering post-operative instructions. Participants and the investigator providing instructions were not masked due to the nature of the intervention.

Study Groups

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Standardised Verbal Instructions

Participants receive the standardised verbal post-extraction care instructions delivered by a trained investigator using a calibrated script. No additional educational materials are provided.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standardised Verbal Instructions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive verbal post-extraction care instructions delivered by a trained investigator using a calibrated script. The content includes guidance on bleeding control, diet, oral hygiene, activity restrictions, and medication use.

Intervention - Verbal Instructions + PDEC-kit

Participants receive the same standardised verbal post-extraction instructions as the control group, supplemented with the Post-Dental Extraction Care Kit (PDEC-kit). The kit includes:

A 2-minute educational video

Illustrated flashcards of dos and don'ts

Live demonstration of gauze placement using a dental model

Bilingual brochure (English and Bahasa Melayu), with QR code for digital access

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Verbal Instructions + PDEC-kit

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive the same standardised verbal instructions as the control group, supplemented with the PDEC-kit. The kit includes a two-minute educational video, illustrated flashcards, a live gauze demonstration using a dental model, and a bilingual (English and Bahasa Melayu) illustrated brochure with QR code access to a digital version.

Interventions

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Standardised Verbal Instructions

Participants receive verbal post-extraction care instructions delivered by a trained investigator using a calibrated script. The content includes guidance on bleeding control, diet, oral hygiene, activity restrictions, and medication use.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Verbal Instructions + PDEC-kit

Participants receive the same standardised verbal instructions as the control group, supplemented with the PDEC-kit. The kit includes a two-minute educational video, illustrated flashcards, a live gauze demonstration using a dental model, and a bilingual (English and Bahasa Melayu) illustrated brochure with QR code access to a digital version.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Adults aged 18 years or older
* Scheduled for routine, non-surgical extraction of one or two adjacent permanent teeth
* Able to read and understand either English or Bahasa Melayu

-=Classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II
* Provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Previous participation in this study
* ASA physical status III or higher
* History of diagnosed anxiety disorders, depression, or learning disabilities
* Requirement for surgical, complex, or multiple extractions
* Procedures expected to be difficult or requiring assistance from a supervising specialist
* Inability to understand or follow study instructions
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Tan Su Keng

Associate Prof. Dr.

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Melissa Mohammad, BDS

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Ministry of Health, Malaysia

Locations

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Faculty of Dentistry Universiti Teknologi MARA

Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia

Site Status

Countries

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Malaysia

References

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Ikmalhisam, N., Aziz, N., Mah, M., Jamaluddin, T., Wahab, H., Mohammad, M., & Tan, S. (2021). Delivery of Post-Dental Extraction Care Instructions with the Aid of a Novel Educational Kit: The UiTM Dental Students' Perspective. ESTEEM Academic Journal, 17, 135-146.

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Other Identifiers

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MDSC_UiTM

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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