Role of addition of dexamethasone to lignocaine 2% with adrenaline in dental nerve blocks for third molar surgery: A prospective randomized control trial

A comparative evaluation of the effect of addition of 8 mg dexamethasone to 2% lignocaine with adrenaline in mandibular third molar surgery: a split mouth randomised double blind study

Background

Impacted lower third molar surgeries involve trauma in a highly vascularized zone with loose connective tissue leading to inflammatory sequelae including postoperative pain, swelling, trismus and generalised oral dysfunction during the post-operative phase. In minor oral surgical procedures, an all-inclusive method to protract anaesthesia and reduce the inevitable post-operative sequelae is yet to be explored substantially.

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy of dexamethasone added to local anaesthetics in extending the depth and duration of anaesthesia and decreasing the postoperative complications after surgical removal of impacted third molars.

Methodology

A controlled, randomized, split-mouth, double-blind prospective study involving lower third molar surgery was performed in 35 patients wherein the test group (Group I) received 8 mg dexamethasone added to 2 ml of 2% lignocaine with epinephrine and the control group (Group II) received 2 ml of sterile water added to 2 ml of 2% lignocaine with epinephrine. Onset and duration of anaesthesia were evaluated; followed by evaluation of pain, swelling and trismus for 7 days post-surgery, using independent t-test and ANOVA for repeated measures.

Results

Test group had a faster onset of anaesthesia by 69 s and a lengthier duration of 128.4 min (p < 0.001). Pain scores (Visual Analogue Scale) in the first 24 h were 4.9 and 7.5 in the test and control group respectively (p < 0.001). The average dosing of analgesics until postoperative day 7 in the test and control group were 12.6 and 18.4 respectively (p < 0.001). The swelling was significantly lesser in the test group, in addition, trismus was significantly lesser by 1 cm on postoperative days 1 and 2 and 0.2 cm on day 7.

Conclusion

The addition of dexamethasone to lignocaine in the nerve block reduces the time of onset and significantly prolongs the duration of anaesthesia with decreased pain, swelling and trismus. Steroids mixed directly with the local anaesthetic agent can minimise the post-operative sequelae associated with third molar surgery with a single needle prick.

Corticosteroids for managing acute pain subsequent to surgical extraction of mandibular third molars: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Corticosteroids are used to manage pain after surgical tooth extractions. The authors assessed the effect of corticosteroids on acute postoperative pain in patients undergoing surgical tooth extractions of mandibular third molars.

TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED

The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. The authors searched the Epistemonikos database, including MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the US clinical trials registry (ClinicalTrials.gov) from inception until April 2023. Pairs of reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, then full texts of trials were identified as potentially eligible. After duplicate data abstraction, the authors conducted random-effects meta-analyses. Risk of bias was assessed using Version 2 of the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and certainty of the evidence was determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

RESULTS

Forty randomized controlled trials proved eligible. The evidence suggested that corticosteroids compared with a placebo provided a trivial reduction in pain intensity measured 6 hours (mean difference, 8.79 points lower; 95% CI, 14.8 to 2.77 points lower; low certainty) and 24 hours after surgical tooth extraction (mean difference, 8.89 points lower; 95% CI, 10.71 to 7.06 points lower; very low certainty). The authors found no important difference between corticosteroids and a placebo with regard to incidence of postoperative infection (risk difference, 0%; 95% CI, -1% to 1%; low certainty) and alveolar osteitis (risk difference, 0%; 95% CI, -3% to 4%; very low certainty).

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Low and very low certainty evidence suggests that there is a trivial difference regarding postoperative pain intensity and adverse effects of corticosteroids administered orally, submucosally, or intramuscularly compared with a placebo in patients undergoing third-molar extractions.

Effectiveness of dexamethasone or adrenaline with lignocaine 2% for prolonging inferior alveolar nerve block: a randomized controlled trial

Objectives

Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is commonly used for mandibular dentoalveolar surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of coadministration of dexamethasone (4 mg/mL) or adrenaline (0.01 mg/mL) as an adjuvant with lignocaine 2% in IANB during third molar surgery (TMS).

Patients and Methods This double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted between March and August 2020. The investigators screened patients needing elective TMS under local anesthesia. Based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, patients were enrolled in this study. These patients were assigned randomly into two study groups dexamethasone group (DXN) or adrenaline group (ADN). Outcome variables were postoperative edema, trismus, visual analogue scale (VAS), perioperative analgesia, onset time, and duration of IANB.

Results

Eighty-three patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 23 (27.7%) were eliminated or excluded during follow-up. This study thus included data from 60 samples. Mean age was 32.28±11.74 years, including 28 females (46.7%) in the ADN (16 patients, 57.1%) and DXN (12 patients, 42.9%) groups. The duration of action for DXN (mean±standard deviation [SD], 40207±03401 hours; standard error [SE], 00600 hours; log-rank P=0.001) and for ADN (mean±SD, 15834±02452 hours; SE, 00442 hours; log-rank P=0.001) were found. Similarly, time at which 1st analgesic consume and total number of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs need to rescue postoperative analgesia was found statistically significant between study groups (t (58)=–11.95; confidence interval, –22541 to –14353; P=0.001). Early-hours VAS was also significantly different between the study groups.

Conclusion

A single injection of dexamethasone prolongs the duration of action of lignocaine 2% IANB. Additionally, it can be used in cases where adrenaline is contraindicated.

Local anesthesia for mandibular third molar extraction

Mandibular third molar extraction is commonly performed in dental clinics. However, the optimal method of anesthesia has not been established for this procedure. The conventional inferior alveolar nerve block is the most widely used method. However, its success rate is not high and it may lead to complications, such as aspiration and nerve injury. Therefore, various anesthesia methods are being investigated. Articaine has been proven to be efficacious in a number of studies and is being used with increasing frequency in clinical practice. In this review article, we will briefly review various local anesthesia techniques, anesthetics, and a computer-controlled local anesthetic delivery (CCLAD) system, which reduces pain by controlling the speed of drug injection, for mandibular third molar extraction.