Impact of pre‐surgical anxiety and fear on patient satisfaction following periodontal and implant surgical procedures

BACKGROUND: Pre-surgical anxiety (PSA) and pre-surgical fear (PSF) may hinder patient compliance, while patient satisfaction (PS) is vital for adherence to treatment recommendations. This prospective study investigated the impact of PSA and PSF, and the influence of patient demographics and postoperative pain, on PS after periodontal and implant surgeries. METHODS: Seventy-four patients, ≥ 18 years, who underwent periodontal and implant surgeries were recruited. PSA and PSF were measured using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) and Dental Fear Survey (DFS). PS was evaluated 2 weeks post-surgery using the Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ). Pain was recorded (visual analogue scale; VAS) on day 1 and 2-weeks post-surgery. Pearson correlation was used to examine relationships, and independent samples t-tests analyzed demographic effects. RESULTS: Pre-surgical DFS was negatively correlated with DSQ (r = -0.3, p = 0.009), while MDAS had no significant correlation (p > 0.05). Day- 1 DFS, and MDAS were negatively correlated with DSQ, (r = -0.378, p < 0.001; r = -0.391, p < 0.001; respectively). Change in pain scores over time were negatively correlated with DSQ (r = -0.317, p = 0.006; r = -0.271, p = 0.02; respectively). DSQ increased with age (p = 0.014) but showed no differences by sex or procedure type. CONCLUSIONS: PSF, younger age, and greater pain changes were associated with lower satisfaction. Considering the study limitations (absence of multivariate modeling, limited sample size), these findings should be considered with caution. Further comparative studies are warranted to evaluate strategies for managing fear and anxiety. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Patients who felt more fearful before their periodontal or implant surgery tended to be less satisfied with their experience, while anxiety did not seem to affect patient satisfaction. Older patients reported higher satisfaction than younger ones, but sex did not make much difference. Experiencing more change in pain and discomfort over time was linked to feeling less satisfied. The results of this study suggest that reducing pre-treatment fear and managing early postoperative pain could improve patients' overall satisfaction with their periodontal and implant surgical treatment.