Role of Dexamethasone in reducing Postoperative Sequelae following Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Comparative Clinical Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aims and objectives To understand the benefits of dexamethasone and compare the effects of submucosal vs intramuscular (IM) administration of dexamethasone in reducing postoperative sequelae following impacted mandibular third molar surgery. Materials and methods The study was conducted on 90 patients, who were divided into three groups of 30 each. The two experimental groups were given dexamethasone 4 mg submucosally or intramuscularly (preoperatively), and the control group did not receive any form of corticosteroid. Measurements of facial swelling and maximal interincisal distance were made preoperatively and on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th postoperative days. Pain was evaluated from patients' response to visual analog scale and recording the number of rescue analgesic tablets taken at the end of the 7th postoperative day. Results Both dexamethasone groups showed a significant reduction in pain, swelling, and trismus as compared with the control group at all intervals. There was a statistically significant reduction in magnitude of swelling in the submucosal dexamethasone group as compared with the IM dexamethasone group on the 1st postoperative day, but there was no significant difference among two experimental groups at other times and their effects were comparable for all variables. Conclusion Dexamethasone 4 mg is an effective therapeutic strategy for reducing postoperative sequelae following surgical removal of impacted third molars and submucosal dexamethasone is an effective alternative to dexamethasone given systemically. How to cite this article Imran M, Reddy BC, Islam M, Khan A, Parkar SN, Nath T. Role of Dexamethasone in reducing Postoperative Sequelae following Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Comparative Clinical Study. J Health Sci Res 2017;8(2):53-60.