Efficacy of Submucosal Dexamethasone Injection on Postoperative Adverse Outcomes Following Third Molar Surgery

Introduction: The most common dento-alveolar procedure is surgical removal of an impacted third molar, which is associated with post-operative pain, swelling, and trismus.

Objective: To determine the effect of submucosal dexamethasone injection on the post-operative outcomes in third molar surgeries.

Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive study conducted in Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Liaquat College of Medicine & Dentistry, Karachi between November 7, 2019 to May 6, 2020. All patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and visited to LCMD, Karachi were included in the study. Informed consent was taken after explaining the procedure, risks and benefits of the study. In our study, all the patients (n=65) received 4mg submucosal dexamethasone injection. The duration of surgery was recorded with postoperative outcomes in terms of pain, trismus and swelling were measured on 3rd and 7th day. All the collected data were entered into the proforma and used electronically for research purpose.

Results: The mean SD of age was 25.9 ± 7.2 years. Right side surgery was documented in 39 (60%) patients, while left side surgery was documented in 26 (40%) patients. On the third and seventh day, the mean SD of VAS pain score was (5.9 ± 3.2), (3.8 ± 4.4), swelling was (2.5 ± 1.1), (0.9 ± 0.6) mm, and trismus was (16.9 ± 9.7), (11.8 ± 9.1) mm, respectively.

Conclusion: It is to be concluded that a significant difference in outcomes was observed between the third and seventh post-operative days in patients who had submucosal dexamethasone injections in third molar surgeries.