The effect of the submucosal injection of dexamethasone on postoperative discomfort after impacted mandibular third molar surgery

Our study was designed to assess the effect of the submucosal injection of dexamethasone on postoperative discomfort after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.
Twenty six patients with bilaterally bony impacted mandibular third molars were recruited to this split mouth study. On the study side, prior to surgery, 8 mg of dexamethasone was injected in buccal vestibule submucosally, while the control side received no steroid. Complications such as swelling, trismus and infection were evaluated postoperatively.
The results showed that the patients experienced significantly less swelling (p= 0.001) on study side on the 3rd and 7th postoperative days compared to the control side. The amount of trismus was significantly less (p= 0.001) after submucosal injection of dexamethasone on both time intervals.
Perioperative submucosal injection of dexamethasone can significantly reduce postoperative swelling and trismus after surgical removal of the impacted teeth.