Page 16 - Demo

Chapter 114Aims and outline of this thesisThe aim of this thesis was to obtain more information regarding anxiety, pain, and quality of life in relation to some oral and maxillofacial procedures. We initially performed two clinical studies on local dental injections. In Chapter 2, to obtain further insight regarding the mechanism underlying this physiological response, we assessed patients’ primary physiological processes (e.g. anxiety and previous experiences with mandibular block injections) and biological differences (greater sensitivity to pain resulting in a higher physiological response). We hypothesized that patients with a higher pain score (VAS > 7) had a greater physiologic response than patients with a lower pain score (VAS < 7). In Chapter 3, we performed a double-blinded randomized controlled trial, in which we tested pre-injection low-level laser/light therapy (LLLT) prior to administering mandibular block or infiltration anesthesia for the removal of an upper or lower wisdom tooth. We hypothesized that patients undergoing local anesthesia or mandibular block procedures would benefit from LLLT performed prior to injection, in terms of reduced pain and anxiety. Subsequently, we investigated the experienced pain and the quality of life after the most common oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures. In Chapters 4–6, we evaluated patients’ oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) after mandibular third molar surgery. In Chapter 4, a prospective crossover randomized controlled study was performed to assess the efficacy of applying an iodine tampon after mandibular third molar surgery, in terms of OHRQoL, use of painkillers, postoperative sequela, and self-care behaviors during the first postoperative week. Patients with bilateral symmetrically horizontally impacted mandibular third molars were treated, and each surgical site was randomly allocated to receive either a iodine tampon at the surgical site or postoperative rinsing with a disposable syringe (Monoject®). In Chapter 5, patients with impacted mandibular third molars were randomly assigned to two groups: one group receiving an alveolar iodine-containing tampon in the extraction socket, and the other group using postoperative rinsing with a Monoject®. In Chapter 6, a prospective study was carried out