| Purpose: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of dexamethasone(DX)on edema,trismus,and pain during early and late postoperative periods after third molar(M3)removal.Methods: We identified eligible reports by searching Pub Med,Embase,and the Central Register of Controlled Trials of the Cochrane Library until April 2016.The full text of the studies that met our minimum requirements evaluated the effects of submucosal injection of DX compared to inactive treatments in patients undergoing surgical removal of an M3 was included.Results: Eleven eligible trials were included in this study.Subjects receiving DX had significantly less edema during both early(SMD,3.28;95% confidence interval [CI],2.21,4.36;P <0.00001)and late(SMD,0.56;95%,CI,0.27,0.86;P<0.00001)periods after surgery as well as less trismus than controls during the early(SMD,6.46;95%,CI,2.44,8.24;P=0.004)phase,but there was no strong evidence for the reduction of trismus in the late period.Due to heterogeneity in the intervention and outcome assessments,outcomes of pain were only qualitatively summarized.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that a submucosal injection of DX reduces not only early and late edema but also early trismus compared to controls after M3 surgery,which makes it a likely choice for dental clinical use.However,larger and higher quality trials are needed to guard against bias to confirm the effect on late trismus and pain. |
PDF Full Text Request