Is dipyrone effective as a preemptive analgesic in third molar surgery? A pilot study.

PURPOSE: Studies on preemptive analgesia in maxillofacial surgery have shown several controversial clinical results, mainly due to the absence of a methodological standard, besides a wide variety of studied drugs. This study intended to answer the following hypothesis: Is the administration of dipyrone preemptively capable of decreasing trans- and postoperative pain in the third molar surgical extraction? METHODS: A pilot prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study was carried out with 25 patients submitted to the third molar surgical extraction at two moments, one side in each intervention. Dipyrone (1 g) was preemptively administered (study group) for the extraction of two third molars on the same side and, in a second surgical procedure, dipyrone (1 g) was administered in the immediate postoperative period (control group). Evaluated variables were the amount of anesthetic, pain perceived through the visual analogue scale (VAS) in transoperative and immediate postoperative periods, and over 12-h investigation period, analgesic consumption, duration of surgery, and time to rescue analgesia. RESULTS: The results were submitted to Student's t test and statistical differences were observed in transoperative (p < 0.05) and immediate postoperative (p < 0.01) periods, while the other studied variables did not present statistical differences. CONCLUSION: The preemptive administration of dipyrone decreased the perception of transoperative and immediate postoperative pain when compared to its use after surgery only.

Oral dexamethasone decreases postoperative pain, swelling, and trismus more than diclofenac following third molar removal: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the anti-inflammatory potential of two pharmacotherapy protocols based on the parameters of pain, trismus, and swelling, after extraction of third molars. METHODS: Thirty patients selected with symmetrical impaction of third molars were submitted to surgical procedures in both sides in different times. For one group, dexamethasone was used for 3 days, and for another group diclofenac sodium was also used for the same period. The main variables analyzed were the visual analogue pain scale (VAS), but others were also analyzed such as swelling and trismus, which were submitted to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The results had no difference regarding the length of procedures (p = 0.986) and the pain in the immediate and 4-h postoperative period (p = 0.723 and 0.541). The rescue analgesic consumption was higher (p < 0.05) when using the protocol with diclofenac sodium. The variables mouth opening (p < 0.05) and swelling (p < 0.05) were significantly better when using the protocol with dexamethasone in the postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: Medical protocol with the use of dexamethasone in the postoperative period was more effective in controlling pain, trismus, and swelling, after the extraction of third molars, when compared to diclofenac sodium.

Surgical treatment of congenital true macroglossia.

Macroglossia is a morphological and volumetric alteration of the tongue, caused by muscular hypertrophy, vascular malformation, metabolic diseases, and idiopathic causes and also associated with Down and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndromes. This alteration can cause dental-muscle-skeletal deformities, orthodontic instability, masticatory problems, and alterations in the taste and speech. In this paper we present a case of true macroglossia diagnosed in a female patient, 26 years, melanoderma, no family history of disease, with a history of relapse of orthodontic treatment for correction of open bite, loss of the lower central incisors, and complaint of difficulty in phonation. The patient was submitted to glossectomy under general anesthesia using the "keyhole" technique, with objective to provide reduction of the lingual length and width. The patient developed with good repair, without taste and motor alterations and discrete paresthesia at the apex of the tongue.

Patterns of paediatric facial fractures in a hospital of São Paulo, Brazil: a retrospective study of 3 years.

The objective of this study is to analyze patterns of facial fractures in children treated at the Service of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Vila Penteado General Hospital (HGVP), in São Paulo, Brazil, in a period of 3 years. Between May 2008 and April 2011 the authors reviewed 110 records of patients under 12 years old with facial fractures. The following parameters were evaluated: age and sex distribution, aetiology of trauma, incidence and type of fractures, monthly distribution and treatment modality. Male-to-female ratio was 1.8:1, and the mean age was 8.13. The majority of the involved patients were aged between 6 and 12 years. The most prevalent cause was fall (58%) and nasal fractures were the most common type of fracture (69%). Monthly distribution was similar in all seasons. Of 110 patients, 69 (62%) were treated conservatively. The incidence of facial fractures in the area of study is high. The high incidence of nasal fractures should be a warning to maxillofacial surgeons, so that they are not overlooked. Safety programs should be installed in Brazil to increase public awareness and to decrease morbidity resulting from paediatric trauma.