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Use of Corticosteroids in Third Molar Surgery

Effect of Preoperative Administration of Dexamethasone Versus Methylprednisolone in Surgical Extraction of Retained Lower Third Molars

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05752305
Enrollment
84
Registered
2023-03-02
Start date
2022-01-15
Completion date
2023-07-15
Last updated
2023-12-06

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

Conditions

Inflammation, Pain, Postoperative, Trismus

Brief summary

Surgical extraction of retained lower third molars is associated with the development of postoperative complications, including inflammation, trismus and postoperative pain, that lead to a decrease in patients' quality of life. Therefore, the use of drugs is essential to reduce the morbidity associated with surgery, with NSAIDs and corticosteroids being the most commonly used drugs.

Detailed description

Surgical extraction of retained lower third molars is associated with the development of postoperative complications, including inflammation, trismus and postoperative pain. Traditionally, NSAIDs have been used for the treatment of postoperative pain and inflammation, although corticosteroids are increasingly used in oral surgery, as they have proven to be clinically effective in reducing postoperative complications without causing serious adverse effects. Although numerous studies have been carried out comparing different corticosteroids in order to determine which of them is the most effective, there is still no clinical protocol regulating the use of these drugs in oral surgery. Therefore, this clinical trial is based on comparing two of the most studied corticosteroids used in oral surgery to date: dexamethasone and methylprednisolone. This study is based on the preoperative administration of 8mg of dexamethasone or 40mg of methylprednisolone via submucosa, randomly, in patients undergoing surgical extraction of a retained lower third molar, to determine which of these two drugs is more effective in the prevention of inflammation, trismus and postoperative pain.

Interventions

Preoperative submucosal administration of 8mg of dexamethasone or 40mg of methylprednisolone.

Preoperative submucosal administration of 8mg of dexamethasone or 40mg of methylprednisolone.

Sponsors

Universidad de Granada
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Patients over 18 years of age * Indication for surgical extraction of a retained lower third molar

Exclusion criteria

* Patients treated with corticosteroids in the last 3 months * Patients treated with NSAIDs in the last 7 days * Patients with hypersensitivity to the drug * Patients with a medical condition that contraindicates the administration of the drug

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Postoperative inflammation following third molar surgical extraction7 daysPostoperative swelling was determined by measuring tragus-chin distance, tragus-labial cleft distance and eye angle-jaw angle distance, using a millimeter ruler.
Postoperative trismus following third molar surgical extraction7 daysPostoperative trismus was assessed by measuring the patient's maximum mouth opening (measuring the distance between the incisal edge of the upper central incisor and the lower central incisor) using a millimeter ruler.
Postoperative pain following third molar surgical extraction7 daysPostoperative pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS): patients were asked to assign a numerical value from 0-100 (0 being no pain and 100 the maximum pain).

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

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