Steroids can ease recovery from wisdom tooth surgery

UB student Michael R. Markiewicz recently conducted a study to find out whether or not steroids are beneficial for use with wisdom tooth operations.

Results of the study revealed that corticosteroids can reduce the swelling and jaw stiffness identified as typical symptoms of recovery from the procedure. Corticosteroids are man-made drugs that are similar to a hormone released by the adrenal glands, according to The Cleveland Clinic's Web site.

Markiewicz, a fourth year pre-doctoral student in the UB School of Dental Medicine, thinks his study will have an impact on how oral surgeons use steroids, as well as with patient confidence going into the surgery.

"The patients administered the steroid during the study showed a mild to moderate reduction in swelling and an improvement in the range of motion following the wisdom tooth surgery compared to people who did not receive the steroid," Markiewicz said.

Corticosteroids can also reduce pain, because the pain associated with the body's response to the wisdom tooth surgery is partially caused by swelling and fluid buildup, according to Markiewicz.

Although many oral surgeons use corticosteroids during wisdom tooth operations, some do not see a need for it. Markiewicz conducted his study to find out how much the steroid affects the recovery process.

"The findings are pretty conclusive," Markiewicz said. "An oral surgeon now would most likely administer steroids to their patient, although some people argue that there is no real reason for it."

Markiewicz worked with three doctors from various universities to reach this conclusion.

The researchers involved in the study took results from previous studies conducted on similar oral surgery topics into consideration, and combined them with their own study to yield more of a conclusive result, according to Markiewicz.

While the case of how steroids benefit post-operative wisdom tooth patients is closed, more studies will be done in the future.

"The next step would be to find the perfect dose," Markiewicz said. "It is important to know the optimum dosage to administer to a patient before, during, and after the wisdom tooth surgery."

The UB Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery's Education and Research Fund and Massachusetts General Hospital's Center financed the research for Applied Clinical Investigation.