Effects of melatonin on postoperative pain and sensory recovery following zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures - A randomized controlled trial.

Posttraumatic and postsurgical sensory disturbance is a known complication of almost all zygomaticomaxillary (ZMC) complex fractures involving the infraorbital nerve, for which few treatments are effective. Our study used neurosensory assessments to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin on pain and nerve healing following ZMC surgery. Sixty-four randomly allocated ZMC fracture patients were prophylactically administered either oral melatonin or an identical placebo for 15 consecutive days. Pre- and postsurgical clinical parameters included subjective pain, numbness, and objective neurosensory function. Melatonin significantly reduced subjective pain perception in the early postoperative days, with a significant difference in VAS scores between the groups from postoperative day 3 (p = 0.048) until day 7 (p = 0.002). The VAS assessment of subjective numbness perception showed significantly lower self-perceived neurosensory disturbance for patients in the interventional group from the first month (p = 0.039) until the third month (p = 0.005). Objective neurosensory assessment using the pinprick test and two-point discrimination showed statistically significant improvement to almost normal sensation by the first month (p = 0.014) to fully normal sensation by the third month (p = 0.001). The study findings suggest that the prophylactic administration of melatonin confers significant clinical benefits in terms of reduced postoperative pain and improved sensory recovery.

Comparison of Bite Force After Administration of Midazolam and Dexmedetomidine for Conscious Sedation in Minor Oral Surgery.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the bite force and sedation score in moderate/conscious sedation for minor oral surgical procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample size of 30 was selected in each group (group M [midazolam] and group D [dexmedetomidine]). RESULTS: Dexmedetomidine group had a statistically significant sedation score than midazolam. A statistically significant increase in the bite force was observed in both midazolam and dexmedetomidine groups, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Dexmedetomidine and midazolam significantly increased the bite force because of the loss of proprioceptive function of periodontal ligament, but there was no significant difference between the drugs regarding bite force.

A 4-year retrospective study of mandibular fractures in a South Indian city.

The medical records of 238 patients treated for mandibular fractures at Sri Ramachandra Dental College and Hospital, India, over a period of 4 years were reviewed. Of the total 238 patients with mandibular fractures, 81% were males, and 19% were females. The majority of the patients were 21 to 30 years of age. Road traffic accidents, especially people traveling on motorcycles, accounted for 73% of all patients, with a high prevalence during the month of September and on Saturdays. The most common area of fracture was in the parasymphysis region (35.2%) followed by the condyle region (22.6%).