Efficacy of Preemptive Dexamethasone versus Methylprednisolone in the Management of Postoperative Discomfort and Pain after Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Adjuvant Analgesics in Acute Pain - Evaluation of Efficacy

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

Acute postoperative pain impacts a significant number of patients and is associated with various complications, such as a higher occurrence of chronic postsurgical pain as well as increased morbidity and mortality.

RECENT FINDINGS

Opioids are often used to manage severe pain, but they come with serious adverse effects, such as sedation, respiratory depression, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and impaired bowel function. Therefore, most enhanced recovery after surgery protocols promote multimodal analgesia, which includes adjuvant analgesics, to provide optimal pain control. In this article, we aim to offer a comprehensive review of the contemporary literature on adjuvant analgesics in the management of acute pain, especially in the perioperative setting. Adjuvant analgesics have proven efficacy in treating postoperative pain and reducing need for opioids. While ketamine is an established option for opioid-dependent patients, magnesium and α2-agonists have, in addition to their analgetic effect, the potential to attenuate hemodynamic responses, which make them especially useful in painful laparoscopic procedures. Furthermore, α2-agonists and dexamethasone can extend the analgesic effect of regional anesthesia techniques. However, findings for lidocaine remain inconclusive.

High dose glucocorticoids for treatment of postoperative pain: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Glucocorticoids as a component of multimodal analgesia have been studied for many years and their post-operative analgesic effects appear to be dose-dependent. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the evidence of peri-operative high dose corticosteroid therapy in comparison to placebo (placebo drug) or control group (no treatment) for improving the quality of post-operative analgesia as indicated by a reduction of 10 mm in 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or reduction of 1 point in a 0-10 point VAS scale, or a reduction of 1 point in an 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score, or reduction of rescue opioid analgesia, in patients undergoing all types of surgery.

DESIGN

Systematic review of RCTs with meta-analysis.

SETTING

Acute postoperative pain treatment in non-obese adult population.

INTERVENTIONS

Perioperative administration of high dose of Dexamethasone (≥ 0,2 mg/Kg or ≥ 15 mg), or a corresponding dose of a systemic glucocorticoid.

MEASUREMENTS

Primary outcomes were postoperative pain measured in 0-100 mm VAS score at 24 h after surgery upon rest and movement. Secondary outcomes were postoperative pain 0-100 mm VAS score 48 h after surgery, postoperative rescue analgesic requirement, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), relevant adverse events.

MAIN RESULTS

47 RCT's were included (3943 patients). The Mean Difference (MD) of 100 mm VAS scores for pain at rest 24 h after surgery was -6.18 mm 95% CI [-8.53, -3.83], at motion -8.86 mm 95% CI [-11.82, -5.89]. Opioid analgesic requirements evaluated in Oral Morphine Equivalents (OME) was -10.00 mg 95% CI [-13.65, -6.34]. PONV events Odds Ratio of 0.29 95%CI [0.24, 0.36]. Major adverse events OR was 0.88 95% CI [0.65, 1.19]. Minor adverse events OR 1.29 95% CI [0.86, 1.92].

CONCLUSION

High doses of glucocorticoids are one of the many possible tools available in multimodal postoperative analgesia, possibly reducing opioids consumption and recurrence of PONV but with no relevant effects in terms of reduction of postoperative VAS score. Available data show a safe therapeutic profile, without increase adverse events.

PROTOCOL REGISTRATION

CRD42020137119.

Efficacy of Hydrocortisone, Povidone-Iodine, and Normal Saline as an Irrigating Solution During Surgical Removal of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The surgical removal of mandibular third molars is one of the most common procedures in dentistry. Researchers have extensively studied the treatment of postoperative sequelae such as pain, edema, trismus, and alveolar osteitis throughout the past six decades. Many approaches have been used to address clinical difficulties after third molar surgery, including various flap designs and irrigating solutions. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of three irrigating solutions, hydrocortisone, povidone-iodine, and normal saline, on pain, trismus, and edema following surgical removal of the impacted mandibular third molar. Methodology The study involved 105 participants who required surgical extraction of mandibular third molars. The patients' ages ranged from 18 to 40 years, and they fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Using a simple random sampling technique, they were divided into three groups (group 1: hydrocortisone, group 2: povidone-iodine, group 3: normal saline). The parameters evaluated were edema, pain, and trismus on the second and seventh postoperative days. All data were input into Microsoft Excel (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, USA) worksheets and analyzed using Stata 17.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, USA). The visual analog scale (VAS) score was used to measure postoperative pain, and postoperative swelling was measured using linear measurements from four fixed anatomical points and compared to preoperative values. To assess trismus, the inter-incisal distance was measured in millimeters with a caliper. A p-value of <0.01 was considered statistically significant. Results The mean VAS score for pain in group 1 was lower than the other two groups. The effect of group 1 was significant on the second postoperative day but insignificant on the seventh postoperative day for swelling. The effect of all three groups on trismus was significant on the second and seventh days. Conclusions Hydrocortisone as an irrigating solution showed promising results in managing postoperative swelling in the first 48 hours, but its effect gradually declined by the seventh postoperative day. Additionally, it was effective in controlling postoperative pain and trismus. This suggests that utilizing hydrocortisone as an irrigating solution, compared to povidone-iodine, has been proven to be a significantly effective option in reducing postoperative pain, edema, and trismus resulting from the surgical removal of impacted teeth.