Comparison of the anti-inflammatory effectiveness of dexamethasone as pre-surgical and post-surgical therapy in mandibular third molar surgery: A randomized clinical trial

Objective: To compare the anti-inflammatory effectiveness of dexa-methasone as pre-surgical and post-surgical therapy in mandibular third molar surgery. Materials and methods: Randomized clinical trial conducted in 60 patients in need of mandibular third molar extraction, ages ranging from 16 to 35 years old, at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Arzobispo Loayza National Hospital during the period of January-March, 2016. Patients were distributed in two randomized groups: Group A received 4mg dexamethasone intramuscular before the surgery, and Group B received the same medication post-surgery. Facial edema was assessed using the distance between facial points, trismus was evaluated using the interincisal distance, and pain intensity was determined using a Numerical Scale (NS). Results: Facial edema values were lower in Group A at 60 minutes (p=0.002) and after the first (p=0.001) and third days (p=0.009), compared to Group B. Regarding trismus, no significant differences between the groups were found. Regarding pain intensity, the highest point was recorded at 6 hours in both groups; however, no significant differences between the groups were found. Conclusion: Pre-surgical dexamethasone administration produced a significantly greater reduction in facial edema after mandibular third molar surgery. Objetivo: Comparar la efectividad antiinflamatoria de dexametasona como terapia prequirúrgica y postquirúrgica en la cirugía del tercer molar mandibular. Materiales y métodos: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado que incluyó a 60 pacientes de 16 a 35 años del Servicio de Cirugía Bucal y Maxilofacial del Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza con necesidad de exodoncia de tercer molar mandibular durante el periodo de enero a marzo del 2016. Se distribuyeron en dos grupos aleatoriamente: El grupo A recibió prequirúrgicamente 4 mg de dexametasona vía intramuscular y el grupo B recibió la misma medicación postquirúrgicamente. Se evaluó el edema facial, mediante la distancia entre puntos faciales, el trismus mediante la distancia interincisal y la intensidad de dolor mediante la Escala Numérica (EN). Resultados: Los valores del edema facial fueron menores en el grupo A a los 60 minutos (p=0,002), primer (p=0,001) y tercer día (p=0,009) en comparación al grupo B. Respecto al trismus, no se encontró diferencia significativa entre los grupos durante las evaluaciones realizadas. Respecto al dolor, la mayor intensidad se percibió a las 6 horas en ambos grupos; sin