Clinical evaluation of dexamethasone versus methylprednisolone for reducing postoperative Inflammatory sequelae following third molar surgery

ABSTRACT

Ninety patients were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to one of three groups. Thirty patients received dexamethasone [4 mg] 5-10 minutes preoperatively. Thirty patients received methylprednisolone [125 mg] 5-10 minutes preoperatively. Thirty patients served as controls [received no steroids]. The duration of facial swelling was evaluated subjectively by the patients. Severity of postoperatively pain was quantified by counting the number of analgesics that the patients took on the day of surgery and during the subsequent six days after surgery. Trismus was determined by measuring the maximal incisive opening before operation and on the seventh postoperative day. It was found that the duration of facial swelling was almost the same in the three test groups. On the day of surgery, the methylprednisolone group showed less significant pain than the other two groups, and the dexamethasone group showed less marked postoperative increase in the incisive opening over the control group. Trismus was significantly reduced in the methylprednisolone group as compared to the dexamethasone group