Patients leave the operatory distracted, numb, anxious, relieved, or all four. That is exactly why verbal-only discharge instructions are weak. The ADA says written post-procedure instructions may be necessary following certain treatments, and its recordkeeping guidance says postoperative or home instructions, or a notation about materials provided, belong in the dental record. In sedation and anesthesia guidance, the language becomes even stronger: the ADA and AAOMS both require written postoperative instructions at discharge, in addition to verbal communication.

The communication problem is not theoretical. A systematic review and meta-analysis of emergency-department discharge instructions found average correct recall was about 47% with verbal instructions and about 58% with written instructions; the authors concluded that verbal communication alone may not be sufficient. Another randomized study found teach-back improved comprehension of medication, self-care, and follow-up instructions. While those studies are not dental-specific, they reinforce a universal truth: people forget important aftercare details unless information is reinforced and checked.

Written post-op notes also protect the practice. The ADA’s documentation guidance specifically includes postoperative or home instructions and informed consent/refusal forms as part of the patient record, and its tip sheet recommends noting whether instructions were provided in paper format or by directing the patient to information on the practice website.

So are written post-op notes “mandatory”? In sedation and anesthesia contexts, yes, they are explicitly required by professional guidance. Outside those settings, the safer and more practical answer is that they are functionally mandatory if you want patients to comply, staff to stay aligned, and records to hold up later. Verbal advice disappears. Written instructions create continuity.