Evaluation of Corticosteroid Administration Following Impacted Third Molar Surgery Using 3-Dimensional Facial Analysis

June 1, 2026 updated by: Irfan Üstündağ

Local Submucosal Dexamethasone Versus Methylprednisolone for Pain and Three-Dimensional Facial Edema After Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind clinical trial is to compare the efficacy of local submucosal administration of dexamethasone versus methylprednisolone on postoperative morbidity following impacted lower third molar surgery. The study evaluates postoperative pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and quantifies three-dimensional facial edema using a mobile smartphone-based scanning workflow (Qlone aligned in CloudCompare). Patients requiring unilateral extraction of fully bone-impacted mandibular third molars are randomly allocated into three parallel groups: Control (no injection), Methylprednisolone (40 mg), and Dexamethasone (8 mg).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars routinely induces significant inflammatory sequelae, including pain, edema, and trismus, which substantially impair patient quality of life. Although local submucosal corticosteroid delivery is a well-established adjunctive approach to minimize postoperative discomfort, head-to-head volumetric comparisons using three-dimensional facial analysis workflows remain limited. This clinical trial implements a rigorous parallel design to isolate the anti-inflammatory efficacy of two widely utilized corticosteroids. Following a standardized surgical osteotomy and tooth removal performed by a single experienced surgeon, participants receive either a standardized 2 mL submucosal injection of 40 mg methylprednisolone sodium succinate, 8 mg dexamethasone sodium phosphate, or no injection at the distobuccal aspect of the adjacent second molar. Three-dimensional digital surface models are acquired preoperatively and longitudinally on postoperative days 3 and 7 to evaluate precise volumetric facial changes. Concurrently, subjective patient-reported pain kinetics are systematically dökümante edilmiştir via regular VAS recordings.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Malatya
      • Malatya, Malatya, Turkey (Türkiye), 44050
        • Inonu University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 1. Systemically healthy individuals classified as ASA I according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

    2. Patients between 18 and 35 years of age. 3. Presence of a unilateral, fully bone-impacted mandibular third molar with an indication for surgical extraction.

    4. Impacted teeth classified as Class II or III and Position B or C according to the Pell-Gregory classification system.

    5. Impacted teeth with mesioangular or vertical angulation based on Winter's classification.

    6. A moderate surgical difficulty level (score of 5 to 7) confirmed via the Pederson difficulty index.

    7. Competency to provide written informed consent and willingness to adhere to follow-up schedules.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • 1. Presence of any systemic disease or medical condition that contraindicates the use of systemic or local corticosteroids.

    2. Pregnancy or lactation. 3. Active pericoronitis, acute infection, or pathology (e.g., cysts, tumors) associated with the target third molar or adjacent structures.

    4. Use of antibiotics, systemic corticosteroids, or regular anti-inflammatory medications within the past 30 days prior to surgery.

    5. History of daily tobacco smoking within the past 6 months. 6. Known allergy or hypersensitivity to local anesthetics, dexamethasone, methylprednisolone, or the prescribed postoperative medications (amoxicillin, clavulanic acid, paracetamol, dexketoprofen).

    7. Inability to comply with the 3D facial scanning protocols or postoperative follow-up appointments.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group 1: Control Group
Patients in this arm undergo the standardized surgical extraction of a fully bone-impacted mandibular third molar under local anesthesia. No local pharmacological adjuncts, sham injections, or submucosal applications of any corticosteroid or alternative therapeutic agents are administered following the completion of the tooth extraction and surgical debridement.
Procedure: Surgical Extraction of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar
All patients in the study undergo a standardized surgical removal of a fully bone-impacted lower third molar performed by a single experienced surgeon. Under general anesthesia, a triangular flap is elevated, followed by conservative osteotomy and tooth division using rotary instruments under continuous sterile saline irrigation. After tooth delivery, the socket is thoroughly debrided, irrigated, and closed primarily using 3-0 silk sutures.
Other Names:
  • Impacted third molar surgery
  • Mandibular third molar odontectomy
Active Comparator: Group 2: Methylprednisolone Group
Following the standardized surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar, patients in this arm receive a local submucosal injection of 40 mg methylprednisolone sodium succinate (Prednol-L). The drug is reconstituted with its specific solvent to a final volume of 2 mL and slowly delivered directly into the adjacent mandibular mucobuccal fold.
Procedure: Surgical Extraction of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar
All patients in the study undergo a standardized surgical removal of a fully bone-impacted lower third molar performed by a single experienced surgeon. Under general anesthesia, a triangular flap is elevated, followed by conservative osteotomy and tooth division using rotary instruments under continuous sterile saline irrigation. After tooth delivery, the socket is thoroughly debrided, irrigated, and closed primarily using 3-0 silk sutures.
Other Names:
  • Impacted third molar surgery
  • Mandibular third molar odontectomy
Drug: methylprednisolone sodium succinate
Immediately following the completion of the tooth extraction and before structural flap closure, a single local dose of 40 mg methylprednisolone sodium succinate is administered. The lyophilized powder is reconstituted with its commercial solvent to a final volume of 2 mL and injected slowly into the adjacent submucosal mucobuccal fold.
Other Names:
  • Prednol-L
Active Comparator: Group 3: Dexamethasone Group
Following the standardized surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar, patients in this arm receive a local submucosal injection of 8 mg/2 mL dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dekort). The commercial solution is administered slowly in its ready-to-use form directly into the adjacent mucobuccal fold.
Procedure: Surgical Extraction of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar
All patients in the study undergo a standardized surgical removal of a fully bone-impacted lower third molar performed by a single experienced surgeon. Under general anesthesia, a triangular flap is elevated, followed by conservative osteotomy and tooth division using rotary instruments under continuous sterile saline irrigation. After tooth delivery, the socket is thoroughly debrided, irrigated, and closed primarily using 3-0 silk sutures.
Other Names:
  • Impacted third molar surgery
  • Mandibular third molar odontectomy
Drug: Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection
Immediately following the completion of the tooth extraction and before structural flap closure, a single local dose of 8 mg/2 mL dexamethasone sodium phosphate is administered. The ready-to-use commercial solution is injected slowly directly into the adjacent submucosal mucobuccal fold.
Other Names:
  • dekort

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Three-Dimensional Facial Edema
Time Frame: Baseline (Preoperative) and Postoperative Day 3 and 7
Volumetric soft tissue swelling on the operated side is quantified in cubic millimeters (mm³). Facial edema is calculated via digital superimposition and surface alignment of Qlone mobile 3D scans in CloudCompare software using the root mean square (RMS) method relative to the baseline scan.
Baseline (Preoperative) and Postoperative Day 3 and 7

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Pain Intensity via Visual Analog Scale
Time Frame: Postoperative Days 1, 3, and 7
Patient-reported subjective pain intensity scored on a standard 10-cm horizontal Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 centimeters indicates "no pain" and 10 centimeters indicates "unbearable/worst imaginable pain".
Postoperative Days 1, 3, and 7
Rescue Analgesic Consumption
Time Frame: Up to 7 days postoperatively
The total number of rescue analgesic tablets (25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol) consumed by each participant for breakthrough postoperative pain management during the follow-up period.
Up to 7 days postoperatively

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Irfan Üstündağ

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: irfan ustundag, dr.ogr.uyesi, inonu universitesi

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 9, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2024-KAEK-08-3D

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in the final manuscript (including demographic characteristics, baseline surgical parameters, 3D facial volumetric measurements, and pain VAS scores) will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable academic request.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

The data will become available immediately following publication of the final manuscript and will remain accessible for up to 3 years.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be accessible to qualified clinical researchers upon submitting a scientifically sound research proposal. Requests should be directed via email to the corresponding author (dt.irfanustundag@gmail.com) and require a signed data use agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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