RESUMO
Two hundred and one patients had unilateral removal of the lower third molars under local anaesthesia and a further 234 patients had either bilateral or unilateral removal under general anaesthesia. A total of 634 lower third molars were extracted by four experienced surgeons (two consultants and two senior grade staff). All patients were reviewed independently 1-week postoperatively and any sensory disturbance and its location was recorded. Patients with sensory disturbance were subsequently reviewed at 1 month and again at 6 months if recovery was not complete. This study demonstrated little difference in the adverse event rate per tooth extracted between procedures under local and general anaesthesia. However, within the general anaesthetic group, the few unilateral procedures showed evidence of higher risk, but the number was too small for valid satisfactory analysis. The risk of nerve morbidity was also greater where the duration of the procedure was longer than 15 minutes in unilateral cases.
Assuntos
Anestesia Dentária/métodos , Anestesia Geral , Anestesia Local , Traumatismos dos Nervos Cranianos/etiologia , Dente Serotino/cirurgia , Distúrbios Somatossensoriais/etiologia , Extração Dentária/efeitos adversos , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Traumatismos do Nervo Lingual , Lábio , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Mandíbula , Estudos Prospectivos , Extração Dentária/métodos , Traumatismos do Nervo TrigêmeoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate salivary cortisol levels in patients undergoing third molar removal under local and general anaesthesia. DESIGN: Random sampling of two independent groups. METHODS: Samples of saliva were collected from patients prior to and after surgery for the removal of impacted wisdom teeth. The samples were analysed to assess cortisol levels. Patients were also asked to complete a Hospital Anxiety and Depression questionnaire on the day of surgery. RESULTS: Patients receiving treatment under local anaesthesia showed lower levels of stress response than those having treatment under general anaesthesia on the actual day of surgery did (Fig. 1). No other significant differences were noted. CONCLUSION: Local anaesthesia is the preferred mode of pain control for patients who express no strong preference for type of anaesthetic.