Do video animations and 3-D skull models reduce preoperative anxiety in bimaxillary orthognathic surgery patients? Randomized controlled trial

Preoperative information before orthognathic surgery is usually provided through verbal and written explanations; however, the effectiveness of supplementary visual tools, such as video animations and skull models, remains understudied. This study aimed to evaluate whether video animations and skull models effectively reduce preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted at Ankara University Faculty of Dentistry between January 2024 and January 2025. Patients aged 18–36 years, classified as ASA I, and scheduled for elective bimaxillary orthognathic surgery were eligible. Exclusion criteria included previous orthognathic surgery, psychiatric disorders, or anxiolytic medication use. Patients were randomized equally into three groups: Group A, standard verbal information; Group B, verbal/video animation information; and Group C, verbal/3-D skull model information. The primary outcome was the change in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State score (STAI-I) between before information time (BIT) and one hour before surgery time (BST); secondary outcomes included changes in Visual Analog Scale anxiety scores. One-way ANOVA was conducted for intergroup comparisons. Thirty patients were included. There was no significant difference among groups in mean age (X² = 3.44, P = 0.18) or trait anxiety (F = 2.21, P = 0.13). For STAI-I, between-group comparisons were not significant at BIT (F = 1.38, P = 0.27) or BST (F = 1.04, P = 0.37). BIT-to-BST changes were not significant in Group A ( P = 0.82), Group B ( P = 0.67), or Group C ( P = 0.51), and no significant group × time difference was observed (F = 0.31, P = 0.74). For VAS scores, a baseline difference was observed at BIT (F = 3.78, P = 0.04), with lower scores in Group B than in Group C (adjusted P = 0.04); no significant differences were found at BST (F = 1.81, P = 0.18) or in the group × time analysis (F = 1.06, P = 0.36). No statistically significant differences were observed among standard verbal information, video animation, and 3-D skull model information in reducing preoperative anxiety before bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07394881. Registered 31 January 2026, retrospectively registered.