Impact of media entertainment on patient perceived burdens during dental treatment for fixed dental prostheses

OBJECTIVES: Visiting a dentist can be an unpleasant experience for many people. Especially clinical procedures for provision of fixed dental prostheses (FDP) can be burdensome. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of media entertainment via flat screens on the ceiling on patient experiences during dental treatment for FDP.

METHODS: In this randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT), a sample of 145 patients (mean age: 42.7 years, 55.2% female) undergoing treatment for FDP was recruited and randomly assigned to intervention group (n = 69) with media entertainment or control group without media (n = 76). Perceived burdens were assessed with the 25-item Burdens in Prosthetic Dentistry Questionnaire (BiPD-Q). Total and dimension scores can range from 0 to 100 with higher scores representing higher burdens. Impact of media entertainment on perceived burdens was assessed using t-test and multivariate linear regression analysis. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated.

RESULTS: Perceived burdens were in general quite low indicated by a mean BiPD-Q total score of 24.4 points, with highest scores for the domain preparation (28.9) and lowest for global treatment aspects (19.8). Media entertainment had a significant effect on overall perceived burdens with lower scores in the intervention group (20.0) than in the control group (29.2; ES: 0.54; p = 0.002). Highest impact was observed for the domains global treatment aspects (ES: 0.61; p < 0.001) and impression (ES: 0.55; p = 0.001), and lowest for anesthesia (ES: 0.27; p = 0.103).

CONCLUSION: Media entertainment on flat screens during dental treatments decreases perceived burdens and may provide patients a less unpleasant treatment experience.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Long and invasive treatments as performed for providing fixed dental prostheses may induce substantial burdens to the patients. Media entertainment on a flat screen TV on the ceiling has a significant attenuating effect on patients and significantly reduces perceived burdens, and subsequently improves process-related quality of care in dentistry.