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The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of preemptive dexamethasone in surgery of the lower third molars and to compare it with other oral anti-inflammatories. An electronic search was conducted for preemptive effects related to lower third-molar surgery in 3 separate databases. The variables pain, swelling, and trismus were assessed. Meta-analysis was used to calculate the pooled effect measures for mean and standard deviation values (95% confidence interval [CI]). Seven split-mouth clinical trials were selected. Two studies were included in the meta-analysis. Three studies showed a low risk of bias; 2 studies exhibited a moderate risk and 2 a high risk of bias. Dexamethasone was better than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories for preemptive effectiveness. Meta-analysis for swelling confirmed better results for dexamethasone than for methylprednisolone after 2 days (95% CI = -1.28 to -0.38), 4 days (95% CI = -1.65 to -0.71), 7 days (95% CI = -1.42 to -0.71), and overall (95% CI = -1.25 to -0.72). Dexamethasone was better than methylprednisolone for mouth opening after 4 days (95% CI = 0.18 to 1.07). There is insufficient evidence through meta-analysis to conclude that dexamethasone is better than other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories or methylprednisolone as a preemptive analgesic. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that dexamethasone is more effective than methylprednisolone for swelling and trismus.

Introduction:Anxiety is one of the components of patient stress in the dental office and is recognized as one of the main factors that negatively affect treatment. The control of anxiety can be performed through conscious sedation, for which benzodiazepine is the drug of choice in dental practice, however present side-effects.Objective:The objective of the following study is to evaluate the efficacy of Valeriana officinalis L. (Valerian) for control of anxiety during the third molar surgery.Materials and Methods:A single oral dose of either Valerian (100 mg) or placebo was randomly administered 1 h before each surgical procedure to 20 volunteers between 17 and 31 years of age. Anxiety level was assessed by physiological parameters (blood pressure and heart rate [HR]) and the observation of signs. Descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, Friedman test, Wilcoxon test and effect size test were performed (P < 0.05).Results:According to the researcher's (80%) and surgeon's (75%) evaluations, the patients treated with Valerian were calmer and more relaxed during surgery. Valerian had a greater effect on the maintenance of systolic blood pressure and HR after surgery.Conclusion:Valerian was more effective at controlling anxiety than a placebo when used for the conscious sedation of adult patients submitted to impacted lower third molar surgery.

Potentially inappropriate medication use by the Diamantina (Minas Gerais State) population was investigated by analyzing medicine consumption, self-medication, polypharmacy and drug interactions of medicines prescribed among those interviewed. Level of knowledge about rational drug use and its relationship to socio-economic variables was also evaluated using a semi-structured questionnaire. This survey was based on stratified sampling of 423 individuals selected randomly. The prevalence of prescription drug consumption was 42.32% (n=179) and cardiovascular drugs were the most prescribed. Drug interactions were found in 45.81% (n=82) of prescriptions and 92.68% (n=76) of these interactions were moderate, with co-administration of cardiovascular drugs occurring in more than half of the cases. The inappropriate use of medication, according to Beers criteria, occurred in 44.73% of prescriptions to the elderly. The prevalence of self-medication was 63.34% (n=268) while 21.99% (n=91) of individuals administered medications to their children without formal prescriptions, where this practice was associated to analgesic/antipyretic consumption. The population showed a high prevalence of inappropriate use of drugs across all strata of society, representing an issue requiring effective actions to promote rational use of medicines.Uniterms: Medicines/rational use. Medicines/inappropriate use. Self-medication. Pharmacoepidemiology. O consumo inapropriado de medicamentos pela população de Diamantina-MG foi investigado através da análise do consumo de medicamentos, automedicação, polifarmácia e interações medicamentosas prescritas aos entrevistados. Também foi avaliado o nível de conhecimento sobre uso racional de medicamentos e sua relação com variáveis sócio-econômicas através de um questionário semi-estruturado. Este estudo transversal foi baseado em amostragem estratificada e contou com a participação de 423 indivíduos selecionados aleatoriamente. A prevalência do consumo de medicamentos prescritos foi de 42,32% (n=179), sendo os medicamentos cardiovasculares os mais prescritos. Entre as prescrições foram encontradas 45,81% (n=82) de interações medicamentosas, sendo 92,68% (n=76) destas interações moderadas e a co-administração de medicamentos cardiovasculares presente em mais da metade dos casos. O uso inadequado de medicamentos, segundo os critérios de Beers, esteve presente em 44,73% das prescrições de idosos. Com relação à automedicação, 63,34% (n=268) dos entrevistados admitem fazer uso de medicamento sem prescrição e 21,99% (n=91) administram medicamentos aos filhos sem prescrição profissional, sendo os analgésicos e antitérmicos os mais comumente administrados em ambas as situações. A população avaliada apresentou alta prevalência de uso inadequado de medicamentos observados em todas as camadas da sociedade, sendo necessário estabelecer medidas eficazes para promoção do uso racional de medicamentos.

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