Third molar operations performed by dental students and oral surgeons

Objective: To compare patients' perception of postoperative information and the postoperative course after third molar surgery performed by oral surgeons and dental students. Methods: 263 Danish adults (17-67 years) with 301 lower third molars were assigned to be operated by either a dental student (DS; n=196) or an oral surgeon (OS, n=105), depending on the estimated difficulty of the surgery. After the operation the patients received postoperative information from the operator. The patients rated their satisfaction with the information given and the communication with the operator on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). During the postoperative week patients recorded complications and pain (on VAS). Complications were recorded objectively at the one-week postoperative visit. Results: 249 postoperative questionnaires were returned. There was no significant difference in perceived pain intensity at 4, 8 or 24 hours postoperatively between the DS and OS patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the patients' satisfaction with the postoperative information (p=0.071). There was, however, a difference in patients' ratings of the communication with the operator, with OS patients being more satisfied than DS patients (p<0.001). There were no significant differences in bleeding (p=0.291), trismus (p=0.506), bad taste (p=0.293), use of analgesics (p=0.367), absence from work/school (p=0.524) and seeking professional help (p=0.449) between the two groups. There was a significant difference in operation time (mean=68 min. for DS, mean=32 min. for OS) (p<0.001), and also a significant difference in the frequency of dry socket between the two groups (2.5% for OS patients and 13.5% for DS patients, p=0.021). There was no significant difference in the frequency of objectively assessed swelling, paraesthesia or infection. Conclusion: Patients operated by dental students did not perceive more pain or serious complications than patients operated by oral surgeons. The dental students' communication with the patient should be improved.