Efficacy of Baclofen on Sequelae of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery
Author(s): Swetha Bhat, Senthilnathan Periasamy* and Arun Murugaiyan
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the influence of the muscle relaxant Baclofen when used as a supplement to antibiotic and non-steroidal antiinflammatory treatment with the aim of reducing undesirable consequences after third-molar extraction such as trismus, pain and swelling. Materials and methods: This prospective clinical study was conducted on 64 patients who reported to the Department of Oral surgery, Saveetha Dental college, Chennai for the surgical removal of a mandibular impacted molar. These patients were randomly assigned to receive either Baclofen or the placebo. . The test group received Baclofen 5 mg once a day for the first 2 postoperative days, in addition to antibiotic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Postoperatively, 1 independent investigator assessed the participant’s postoperative pain by means of a 10 point visual analog scale, swelling and maximal interincisor distance on the third and the seventh days. Results: In the test group, 21(65.62%) patients showed improvement of MMO above 8mm. The improvement in MMO was greater in the test group in comparison to the control group, but this was statistically insignificant. The mean of the VAS score for the test group on the 7th day was lesser than the VAS score of the placebo group, which showed better pain control and was statistically significant. Out of the patients who received Baclofen, 4 (12.5%) of them showed presence of swelling on the 7th postoperative day, whereas 7 (21.9%) patients in the control group presented with swelling. However, this was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: The results of this trial indicate that the influence of baclofen over pain, swelling and trismus does not rationalise prescribing additional medication for patients undergoing the surgical removal of a mandibular impacted third molar.