Efficacy of corticosteroids versus placebo in impacted third molar surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The aim of this systematic review was to identify randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of corticosteroids in the control of pain, oedema, and trismus following third molar surgery, and to analyse the effects of the type of drug administered and the time and route of drug administration on the outcomes of interest. Searches were performed in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. This review was structured according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The search identified 1223 studies. After assessing eligibility based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 17 studies were selected for the qualitative analysis (a total of 730 patients aged 15-45 years). Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis, which was performed using Review Manager software. The corticosteroids were effective in controlling pain (P=0.002; mean difference -17.38, 95% confidence interval -24.81 to -9.95) and trismus (P<0.00001; mean difference 6.10, 95% confidence interval 3.42 to 8.77). With the exception of the submucosal route, the route of administration did not appear to affect the outcomes. The administration of a corticosteroid in the preoperative phase was superior to its use in the postoperative phase for the control of trismus.

Effects of co-administered dexamethasone and nimesulide on pain, swelling, and trismus following third molar surgery: a randomized, triple-blind, controlled clinical trial.

This study aimed to determine the effect of the co-administration of dexamethasone 8mg and nimesulide 100mg given 1h before mandibular third molar surgery. A prospective, randomized, triple-blind, split-mouth clinical trial was developed at the study institution in Pernambuco, Brazil. A pilot study was first performed (95% confidence interval, 80% test power, and 5% error), and a sample of 40 patients aged between 18 and 40 years was selected. The patients were randomized and divided into two groups: dexamethasone+placebo and dexamethasone+nimesulide. The following parameters were evaluated: pain (visual analogue scale), total number of rescue analgesics taken, time taken to first rescue analgesic consumption, oedema, trismus, and patient satisfaction. The paired t-test and the Wilcoxon test were used to compare means. Statistically significant differences were found between the groups in pain values at 2, 4, and 12h postoperative, and in the total number of rescue analgesics and time taken to first rescue analgesic ingestion (P<0.05), with results in favour of dexamethasone+nimesulide administration. Oedema and trismus were similar in the two treatment groups and decreased over time postoperatively. The co-administration of dexamethasone and nimesulide reduces pain intensity and the need for rescue medication after third molar surgery.

Recurrence rate following treatment for primary multicystic ameloblastoma: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Opinions regarding the treatment of multicystic ameloblastoma are divergent due to its benign nature and the high rate of recurrence if not adequately excised. The aim of the present study was to perform a systematic review of the literature for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of studies addressing primary multicystic ameloblastoma with regard to treatment and recurrence. Searches were conducted of the Ovid Medline and Embase databases for articles published up to January 2014. Based on predefined eligibility criteria, studies were selected in a two-stage screening process conducted by two independent reviewers. Quality assessment of the selected articles was performed using the modified criteria of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager (RevMan) software. Statistical heterogeneity was investigated by performing a χ(2) test at the 5% significance level (P<0.05) and determining I(2). The relative risk of recurrence was 3.15-fold greater (95% confidence interval 1.98-5.00) when conservative treatment was performed on primary multicystic ameloblastoma in comparison to radical treatment (P<0.00001 for treatment effect; I(2)=0% and P=0.48 for heterogeneity). The findings justify the treatment of primary multicystic ameloblastoma with bone resection.