Comparative study of the effect of dexamethasone injection and consumption in lower third molar surgery

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of intramuscular (IM) injection and consumption of 8 mg dexamethasone in patients after lower third molar (LTM) surgery. 20 healthy Thai patients, average age 20 years, with bilateral LTM removal were recruited for this study, a double blinded, paired sample clinical trial. The washout period was 1 month after the first operation. Clinical assessment of facial swelling, pain and maximum mouth opening were measured before and after operation for 7 days. No significant difference was found in facial swelling between IM injection and consumption of 8 mg dexamethasone after LTM surgery (paired t test P > 0.05). The visual analogue scale scores for pain assessment showed no significant difference between IM injection and consumption of dexamethasone (paired t test P > 0.05). The results conclude that IM injection or consumption of dexamethasone after LTM surgery can be used to control facial swelling, pain and trismus.