This double-blind, split-mouth, and randomized study was aimed to compare the efficacy of dexamethasone and ketorolac tromethamine, through the evaluation of pain, edema, and limitation of mouth opening. Thirty-four individuals aged 18-26 years, having bilateral mandibular third molars, in a similar position, were selected. Two different surgical procedures were performed on the same individual by the single surgeon. For an extraction, the individual received 1 capsule of 10 mg ketorolac tromethamine 1 h before surgery and every 8 h for 2 days. For the extraction of the contralateral side, the individual received 1 capsule of 8 mg dexamethasone 1 h before surgery and 1 placebo capsule every 8 h for 2 days. Sodium metamizol, 500 mg, was given as rescue medication in postoperative. Pain was assessed by the Visual Box Scale-11 points (BS-11) at 24 h postoperative. Edema (metric measurement) and the maximum mouth opening (interincisal) were recorded in the pre-operative, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 7 days postoperatively. The results showed that both therapeutic treatments used were effective in the postoperative, and there were no statistically significant differences between the groups for the pain and edema variables. However, for the limitation of mouth opening, 24 h and 7 days postoperatively, the dexamethasone group had a lower limitation of mouth opening, behaving better than the ketorolac for this variable in these periods. Due also to the higher margin of safety, the use of dexamethasone as a single dose becomes a more suitable alternative for use in routine surgical extractions of third molars.
Keywords: Analgesia preemptive; Dexamethasone; Ketorolac; Third molar.