Impact of two different patient decision aids in prosthodontic consultations: a prospective randomized controlled study

Objectives Different approaches to prosthodontic consultation, all involving a strong focus on shared decision-making, were analyzed from the perspective of patients by inter-group comparisons. No patient decision aid (PDA) was used in the control group, a paper-based PDA in test group 1, and a software-based PDA in test group 2. Materials and methods Seventy-five patients were prospectively randomized to the control group or a test group. All patients then rated the consultation on a questionnaire, six key items of which were analyzed, along with the time spent on each consultation. Results Overall satisfaction was highest in test group 2, with a significant difference from the control group ( p = 0.015). Test group 2 showed the most favorable ratings for all six questionnaire items, which invariably was significant compared to the control group ( p = 0.032). Test group 1 significantly differed from test group 2 based on two items (consultation was adequately intelligible: p = 0.011; consultation was adequately comprehensive: p = 0.034) but not from the control group based on any item ( p = 0.070). Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, the use of a software-based PDA, in particular, can be recommended based on patient satisfaction and was associated with the shortest sessions for consultation. Clinical relevance Patients are routinely faced with a wealth of information in dental offices and may be overwhelmed especially by prosthetic treatment options and decision requirements. Our findings shed some light on the nature of aids that may truly be helpful in the process of shared decision-making. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov.Identifier: ISRCTN11472465.