effect of dexamethasone on neuropraxia following third molar surgery

ABSTRACT

In this double blind controlled study, the effects of intramuscular Dexamethasone on neuropraxia development of inferior alveolar nerve and lingual nerve following the surgical removal ofmandib ular third molars were studied after 24 hours. Patients who were contraindicated to the use of steroid i.e. hypertensive, GIT ulcer, diabetics, bacterial infections, history of thromboembolic events, psychosis, patients taking other medication chronically and pregnant were excluded from this study. Out of total 200 hundred impactions cases, 100 cases received 8mg intramuscular dexamethasone one hour prior to surgical extraction but it was not given to other 100 cases of control group. The overall rate of paresthesia of lingual nerve was 15% and of the inferior alveolar nerve 6.5%. On comparison no statistical difference in neuropraxia within the dexamethasone group and control group was noted. P value for lingual nerve was 1.000 and for inferior alveolar nerve 0.390 so both had no significance statistically [p>0.05]