Patients' anxieties with third molar surgery.

There has been little study of patients' anxieties about third molar surgery despite its widespread practice. 105 patients were invited to complete questionnaires preoperatively to assess anxieties about the procedure and to assess how well it was explained. They were also asked post operatively to assess differences from expectations, accuracy of the preoperative explanation and which aspect would worry them most should the procedure be repeated. Patients generally found their worries as expected or even better. Few found events worse with only pain (12%) and paraesthesia (13%) of note. Although 88% of patients assessed pain as better than or as expected, 43% would fear it most if the procedure was repeated. Pain is the single most feared factor despite evidence that it is usually no worse than originally feared. Reassurance and adequate pain control are the most important factors to patients in third molar surgery, and this reassurance should start at operation booking rather than on admission.