Preoperative information-seeking behavior and perioperative experiences in patients undergoing periodontal mucogingival surgery: a single-center cross-sectional survey

Objectives To characterize patients’ preoperative information-seeking behaviors and procedure-specific understanding regarding periodontal mucogingival surgery for gingival recession, and identify factors associated with obtaining information from professional healthcare sources, thereby informing preoperative health education by medical students and junior clinicians. Methods In this single-center, cross-sectional questionnaire survey conducted at the 6-month postoperative follow-up at a tertiary dental hospital in China, preoperative anxiety and information-seeking behaviors were assessed retrospectively. Hospital records of 2,876 patients who underwent periodontal surgery between July 2022 and December 2025 were screened. Of the 72 patients who underwent mucogingival surgery for Cairo RT1 recession, 66 returned valid questionnaires and were included in the analysis. Each factor was assessed separately in crude and age- and sex-adjusted exploratory models, with Firth sensitivity analyses. Results Overall, 93.94% of patients reported learning about the surgery before treatment, and 45.45% selected professional medical staff as their information source. Procedure-specific understanding was favorable (96.97% understood the surgical procedure; 98.48% knew initial periodontal therapy was required). Mild preoperative anxiety was reported by 65.15% of patients. The crude education trend was not statistically significant (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 0.85–2.89, p = 0.151), whereas a positive trend emerged after age and sex adjustment (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.11–5.63, p = 0.026), with a similar Firth sensitivity estimate (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.11–5.20, p = 0.022). Patients reported that psychological burden, systemic health status, and surgical cost influenced their decisions. Preoperative anxiety was positively associated with postoperative reactions and the influence of psychological burden on decision-making, and postoperative reactions were associated with the reported influence on future surgery decisions. Conclusion Education level showed an exploratory association with professional information seeking among patients who had undergone mucogingival surgery. Statistical associations were also observed among recalled preoperative anxiety, postoperative reactions, and reported decision-making influences. Their relevance to preoperative communication requires prospective evaluation.