Effectiveness of Dexamethasone Injection for Reducing Pain After Third Molar Surgery (DEXA-TMS)

April 12, 2026 updated by: Maryam Umar, 28 Military Dental Centre Lahore

Effectiveness of Dexamethasone Injection on Postoperative Pain After Impacted Third Molar Surgery Assessed Using Visual Analog Scale

This randomized clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of dexamethasone injection in reducing postoperative pain after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. Patients are divided into two groups: one receiving standard local anesthesia, and the other receiving an additional dexamethasone injection postoperatively. Pain levels are assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery. The study is conducted at 28 Military Dental Centre, Lahore.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Impacted mandibular third molar surgery is commonly associated with postoperative pain, which can affect patient comfort and recovery. Corticosteroids such as dexamethasone have anti-inflammatory properties and may reduce postoperative pain and swelling.

This randomized clinical trial is designed to compare postoperative pain levels in patients undergoing third molar surgery with and without the administration of dexamethasone. Patients are randomly allocated into two groups. Group 1 receives standard inferior alveolar nerve block using 2% lignocaine with epinephrine. Group 2 receives an additional 1 ml (8 mg) dexamethasone injection in the buccal vestibule after completion of surgery.

Pain is assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. All patients are prescribed the same postoperative analgesic regimen. The primary outcome is the difference in mean pain scores between the two groups. Data analysis is performed using SPSS, and statistical significance is set at p < 0.05.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

70

Phase

  • 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

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 63000
        • 28 Military Dental Centre

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients aged 20 to 40 years
  • Patients with at least one impacted mandibular third molar (Class A or B, Class I or II) including mesioangular, horizontal, vertical, or distoangular impactions according to Pell and Gregory classification confirmed by panoramic radiograph
  • Patients with no systemic disease (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease)
  • Patients of either gender

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who have used analgesics or related drugs within 15 days prior to surgery
  • Pregnant patients
  • Patients with known allergy to corticosteroids
  • Patients with tooth associated with cyst, tumor, or trauma

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Dexamethasone Group
Dexamethasone 8 mg (1 ml) was administered via buccal vestibular injection immediately after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.
Drug: Dexamethasone
Dexamethasone 8 mg (1 ml) was administered via buccal vestibular injection immediately after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants will receive standard postoperative care without dexamethasone following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative pain intensity
Time Frame: 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours postoperatively
Postoperative pain will be assessed using a 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates worst possible pain, following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.
24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours postoperatively

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

28 Military Dental Centre Lahore

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)

December 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 12, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MDC-LHR-DEXA-2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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