Relieve pain and elevate mood in dental surgeries with Pregabalin and Dexamethasone

According to a recent triple-blind, split-mouth clinical trial involving 31 patients, the use of pregabalin along with dexamethasone was effective for managing postoperative pain and tension/anxiety in patients undergoing lower third molar (wisdom tooth) surgery.

The trial by Jiordanne Araújo Diniz et al. was meticulously designed to assess the efficacy of this combination therapy in preemptive pain and anxiety control. The patients under consideration were stratified into two groups: one receiving a placebo with dexamethasone, and the other receiving pregabalin with dexamethasone before wisdom tooth surgery. The pain levels (using the Visual Analog Scale), anxiety (using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), hemodynamic parameters such as Blood Pressure (BP), Heart Rate (HR) and Oxygen Saturation (SpO2), as well as sedation levels (using the Ramsay scale) were all evaluated.

As revealed, the group receiving pregabalin and dexamethasone experienced a marked reduction in pain at multiple intervals post-surgery (2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, 16 hours, after 1 day and 2 days), alongside a decrease in the need for additional pain relief medication. Anxiety levels remarkably decreased in the test group (p < 0.001). Also, marked reductions in BP were observed at most time points (p < 0.05), and HR at two intervals (p = 0.003 and p = 0.009) in the test group, implying enhanced hemodynamic stability. The levels of sedation were consistently higher in the test group across all the time points, without significant differences in SpO2 or notable unfavourable postoperative effects.