Vital Signs and Pain in Anxious Patients Undergoing Lower Third Molar Surgery: A Pilot Split-Mouth Clinical Trial

Objectives: The aim of the present clinical trial was to correlate the variability of heart rate and blood pressure with levels of anxiety in patients undergoing extraction of teeth #48 and #38. Material and Methods: A split-mouth protocol was used, in addition to evaluating pain intermediately and immediately after the surgery. As a result, 16 similar bilateral lower third molars were extracted, according to the Winter and Pell and Gregory classifications, in a split-mouth protocol, in patients considered anxious according to the Corah scale. The correlation with vital signs and pain was assessed at predetermined times. Results: The values of systolic blood pressure, heart rate and assessments of periods of pain showed no statistical differences, while the diastolic blood pressure in the preoperative period, between the two surgical procedures, showed a statistically significant difference. Conclusions: Despite being a split-mouth pilot study, the values for anxiety, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and pain did not decrease but also did not show a significant increase during the second surgical experience, except for diastolic blood pressure. These results may be favorable for controlling risks and complications during and after surgery. In light of this, further studies are recommended for more robust evaluations of this methodology.