Efficacy of Methylprednisolone Injected into Masseter Muscle Preoperatively in Surgical Extraction of Lower Third Molars: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Triple Blind Study

Abstract

inflammatory sequelae after third molar surgery. Various corticosteroids such as betamethasone, triamcinolone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone have been used to control pain, swelling and trismus postoperatively [5]. The selection of an appropriate glucocorticosteroid with minimal mineralocorticoid activity and extended biological activity is desirable.5Methylprednisolone meets these requirements, since it has no mineralocorticoid activity, the half-life is approximately 18-36 hours and the drug is 5-fold more potent than hydrocortisone. There is a dearth of literature on the role of methylprednisolone for the postoperative complications of third molar surgery. So we decided to use the corticosteroid methylprednisolone (Figures 1-3). It is widely accepted that peak corticosteroid levels are obtained by injecting the drug prior to the procedure. There was a need to conduct a randomized control trial which seeks to evaluate the efficacy of methylprednisolone injected into the masseter muscle via the intrabuccal approach prior to the procedure. Our study had twin objectives. One of them was to evaluate the efficacy of methylprednisolone injected into the surgical site to reduce pain, swelling and trismus following