The effect of pre-emptive dexamethasone on post-operative pain and swelling after periodontal flap surgery

Author: 
Rakhewar P. S., Anuja Muley., Manojkumar Thorat., Kedar Saraf., Hitendra Jain and Apeksha Birla

Background: Pain and swelling after periodontal flap surgery are common occurrences. The aim of this study was to evaluate, the effect of pre-emptive oral 8mg dexamethasone on post-operative pain and swelling after periodontal flap surgery.
Methodology: Total 24 patients with moderate to severe periodontitis who need periodontal flap surgery were randomly selected. Patients were divided into two equal control and test groups. In control group, only periodontal surgery was carried out. In test group, patients were given 8 mg dexamethasone orally 1 hour prior to surgery. Patients were instructed to maintain a pain diary, for first 5 hours, on 2nd, 3rd, 4th day and on the day of suture removal (7th day). Post-operative swelling was evaluated on 3 rd day and 7th day. VAS scale and swelling index were used to assess the pain and swelling respectively.
Results: Compared to control group, mean pain score of test group was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Mean swelling score of test group showed no statistical significant difference (P > 0.05) compared to control group.
Conclusion: The use of 8mg dexamethasone as pre-emptive steroidal anti-inflammatory drug may be beneficial for post-operative pain management in periodontal flap surgery.

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DOI: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijcar.2018.15862.2908
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