Effect of audiovisual eyeglasses on intraoperative pain, anxiety, and hemodynamic changes during mandibular third molar extraction: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of audiovisual eyeglasses in terms of anxiety relief, hemodynamic changes, and intraoperative pain in patients undergoing surgical removal of a mandibular third molar. METHOD AND MATERIALS: A randomized controlled clinical trial with two parallel groups was carried out in patients undergoing mandibular third molar extraction. Fifteen patients watched a video with multimedia eyeglasses during the surgical procedure, whereas 15 controls had their eyes covered during extraction. The patients completed anxiety questionnaires before and after surgery. Hemodynamic changes, intraoperative pain, duration of the surgery, and overall satisfaction were recorded. RESULTS: Thirty patients were analyzed. Intraoperative pain and the need for supplemental anesthesia were significantly more frequent in the control group (53.3% versus 13.3%; P < .05). The surgical procedure was also briefer when the eyeglasses were used (17.2 versus 28.1 minutes). Overall satisfaction was similar in both groups. No significant differences were found between the two study groups in terms of anxiety and hemodynamic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The use audiovisual eyeglasses should be routinely considered during mandibular third molar extraction since these devices allow reduction of intraoperative pain and surgery time. However, patient anxiety level and hemodynamic parameters seem to remain unaltered.