Banu Özveri Koyuncu

Background: Impacted third molar extraction is a common oral surgical procedure, and beyond surgical outcomes, patient satisfaction is an important indicator of care quality. This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction, postoperative complications, and factors influencing these outcomes.Materials and Methods: A total of 369 patients who underwent impacted mandibular or maxillary third molar extraction between July 2022 and November 2023 at Ege University were included. Demographic characteristics, preoperative symptoms, surgical details, and complications were recorded. The Pell and Gregory classification was used for mandibular molars. Satisfaction was assessed using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and a survey addressing patients’ experiences with the procedure. Statistical analyses examined associations between demographic and clinical factors with satisfaction scores.Results: Among the patients, 30.62% were male and 69.38% female, with a mean age of 24.6 years. Preoperative symptoms were reported by 59.89%, most commonly pain (58.54%). Postoperative complications occurred in 27.91% of cases, primarily pain lasting longer than 72 hours (24.66%), trismus (7.32%), paresthesia (1.90%), and alveolitis (1.63%). Despite these complaints, overall satisfaction levels were high: 49.32% rated their experience as 10/10, and 96.75% expressed willingness to return to the clinic for future care.Conclusion: Although postoperative discomfort was frequent, patient satisfaction remained high. Effective communication, adequate pain management, and accessible postoperative support appear to play key roles in enhancing the patient experience. Incorporating patient-centered approaches may help further improve outcomes and satisfaction.Key words: third molar surgery; patient satisfaction; postoperative complications; oral surgery; visual analog scale.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate physicians’ level of knowledge and awareness regarding the side effects of bisphosphonates (BPs). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at University Hospital. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire given to a group of research assistants all of whom were required to prescribe BPs, including internists (oncologists, endocrinologists and rheumatologists), orthopaedic specialists, physiotherapists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, and urologists. The questionnaire consisted of a range of questions covering such matters as length of time in occupation, how information is given out, whether a dentist is consulted before or in the course of prescribing the medicine, and previous experience of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) and any treatment modifications. Results: Ninety-one out of 106 physicians included in our sample were found to be treating patients with BPs. Although 89% of the physicians informed their patients about the side effects of BPs, only 16.5% advised their patients to consult a dentist for dental treatment before prescribing BPs. When the different specialist groups were ranked in terms of their rate of dental referrals, from highest to lowest, the order was as follows: physiotherapists, internists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, urologists and orthopaedists. A statistically significant correlation was found between knowledge and specialty (p=0.02), but no significant correlation was observed between knowledge and years of experience (p=0.3). Conclusion: There is a lack of awareness among research assistants about the risk of MRONJ when prescribing BPs. Therefore, continuous education programmes and multiple interventions are needed to increase awareness.