DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i02.058

Pages: 685-692

Objective: To study the efficiency of two different routes of administration of dexamethasone in controlling the main postoperative sequelae after mandibular third molars surgery. Patients and methods: 44 patients with 60 surgical extractions of impacted lower third molars were enrolled in a randomized, double blind study. Patients either received a submucosal injection of 8mg of dexamethasone and intramuscular injection of saline solution or vice versa. Procedure was carried out under local anesthesia. The assessment of postoperative edema and trismus was based on four facial measurements and the width of mouth opening, taken prior to surgery and on two and seven days, postoperative. To evaluate pain, the number of analgesic (paracetamol) tablets consumed and the visual analog scale score were used. Results: Due to their inability to complete data collection procedures, six patients were ruled out from the final statistical analysis. The mean surgery duration was 26.93 ± 9.74 minutes. No statistically significant difference was noted between the two groups regarding the three outcomes. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that the administration of 8mg of dexamethasone via the submucosal route is an effective approach to limit pain, edema and trismus following mandibular third molars surgical extraction.