EVALUATION OF THE IMPACTS OF SURGICAL REMOVAL OF IMPACTED TEETH ON ALTERATIONS OF THE MOOD WITH BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY

Objectives To determine whether the inflammatory complications following impacted third molar surgeries and varying surgical difficulties impact individuals' mood alterations. Materials and Methods A prospective, double-blind, observational study was designed with three study groups (slightly, moderate, and very difficult) constituted with surgical difficulty scores. The participants were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively on the sixth hour, second and seventh days. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Beck depression scale (BDS) scores, maximal mouth opening, and swelling amounts were recorded. Results A total of 75 patients were enrolled and divided into three study groups with an equal number of participants. The preoperative mean BDS scores of the study groups (slightly, moderate, very difficult) were 9.16, 7.16, and 8.12, and mean VAS scores were 2.86, 1.4, and 1.56, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between the surgical difficulty and the increased BDS scores on the second and seventh postoperative days (p=0.031, p=0.001). Significant correlations were observed between surgical difficulty and VAS scores (p=0.018) and maximum mouth opening amounts (p=0.021) on the second postoperative day. Also, postoperative swelling amounts were significantly affected by surgical difficulty on the postoperative second day (p=0.007). The impact of surgical difficulty and inflammatory complication-related factors on the postoperative BDS scores' increase was also evaluated, and the postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and operation time correlated. Conclusion The surgical removal of impacted molar teeth has significant effects on alterations in mood. It would be beneficial to consider different aspects of the postoperative term that the patient will experience in third molar surgeries.