Effectiveness of Telephonic and Digital Postoperative Follow-up Communication Strategies on Patient Compliance, Clinical Recovery, and Quality of Life After Dental Extraction

Effectiveness of Telephonic and Digital Postoperative Follow‐up Communication Strategieson Patient Compliance, Clinical Recovery, and Oral Health‐related Quality of LifeFollowing Dental Extraction(CONNECT Study ‐ CONtinuous post‐operative NETwork Communication to Enhance Complianceafter Tooth Extraction)Tooth extraction is one of the most commonly performed dental procedures. Although mostpatients recover uneventfully, complications such as pain, swelling, bleeding, infection,and dry socket may occur if postoperative instructions are not followed correctly.Dentists routinely provide verbal and written instructions after tooth extraction;however, patients may forget or misunderstand these instructions once they leave theclinic, resulting in reduced compliance and delayed recovery.Previous research conducted at our institution demonstrated that postoperative telephonefollow‐up improved patient compliance with post‐extraction instructions compared withroutine verbal and written instructions alone. Building on these findings, the presentstudy aims to evaluate whether different methods of postoperative communication‐includingtelephone calls, digital messaging, and a combination of both‐can further improve patientcompliance and clinical recovery following dental extraction.Participants undergoing routine dental extraction will receive the standard postoperativeverbal and written instructions provided by the Department of Oral and MaxillofacialSurgery. Depending on the assigned study group, participants may also receive structuredtelephone follow‐up, digital communication via a secure messaging platform, or bothduring the early postoperative period. The information provided through thesecommunication methods will reinforce the same postoperative instructions routinely givenin the clinic and will not alter the clinical treatment received.Participants will be followed for one week after the extraction. Information will becollected regarding their adherence to postoperative instructions, pain levels,occurrence of complications such as dry socket, and oral health‐related quality of lifeusing validated questionnaires. These assessments will help determine whether additionalpostoperative communication improves patient recovery and overall treatment outcomes.The study involves minimal risk because the communication methods are intended only toreinforce standard postoperative care and provide patients with an opportunity to clarifyany concerns they may have during recovery. Participation in the study is entirelyvoluntary, and patients may withdraw at any time without affecting the quality of theirdental treatment.The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence on the most effectivepostoperative communication strategy following dental extraction. This may help improvepatient education, enhance compliance with postoperative instructions, reduce preventablecomplications, and support the integration of digital communication technologies intoroutine dental practice.