Effect of Dexamethasone and Methylprednisolone on Pain, Swelling and Trismus After Third Molar Surgery

Preemptive Effect of Dexamethasone and Methylprednisolone on Pain, Swelling and Trismus After Third Molar Surgery: a Split-mouth Randomized Triple-blind Clinical Trial

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01603498

Enrollment

Registered

2012-05-23

Start date

2011-04-30

Completion date

2011-12-31

Last updated

2012-05-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Edema,, Pain,, Trismus

Keywords

pain measurement,, edema,, trismus

Brief summary

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of preemptive dexamethasone and methylprednisolone to prevent pain, swelling and limitation in mouth opening following third molar extraction.

Detailed description

Third molar surgery is often associated with significant post-surgical sequelae. The trauma caused to soft and bony tissue can result in considerable pain, swelling and trismus. Symptoms begin gradually having a peak 2 days after extraction. The use of corticosteroids such as dexamethasone and methylprednisolone can be a valuable tool when performing moderate to moderately severe oral surgical procedures. No clear consensus have emerged yet regarding patient selection, dosage, timing and type of administration of steroid. In this light, this clinical trial aim to compare the effect of preemptive dexamethasone and methylprednisolone to prevent pain, swelling and limitation in mouth opening following third molar extraction.

Interventions

DRUGDexamethasone

Dexamethasone 8mg

DRUGMethylprednisolone

Methylprednisolone 40mg

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients with indication of asymptomatic bilateral extractions of lower third molars * Aged 18 years or older; * Have a good health and no disease;

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with history of any medication treatment within 15 days before the beginning of the research, history of allergy to the drugs, substances or materials used in this study, pregnancy or lactation

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Postoperative sequelae following thir molar extraction	up to seven days postoperative	During the postoperative intervals of 24, 48 and 72 hours and seven days, the swelling was determined using linear measures in the face and trismus by maximum mouth opening. The postoperative pain was self-recorded by the patient using visual analogue scale in 72 hours with an interval of eight hours

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Analgesic consumption; duration of surgery	up to 7 days

Countries

Brazil

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026