What’s new for the clinician? - Excerpts from and summaries of recently published papers

Abstract

Extraction of third molars is one of the most common procedures performed by oral surgeons. Generally, these surgeries do not encounter difficulties but at times can result in complications. Postoperative complications may include swelling, pain, trismus, prolonged bleeding, dry socket, infection and sensory alterations of the inferior alveolar nerve or lingual nerve. For the swelling, the most common therapies include corticosteroids, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or a combination of these agents. Elastic bandage application (Kinesio taping) is a technique that originates from sports sciences. Studies have reported its beneficial effects on swelling and trismus symptoms after oral and maxillofacial surgeries.1
It has been claimed that elastic tapes reduce postoperative swelling by creating space between the dermis and fascia layers and thus increasing lymphatic and blood flow.1 Their alleviating effect on postoperative pain is due to dermal stimulation.1 Erdil and colleagues (2021)1 reported on a trail that sought to compare the effectiveness
of submucosal dexamethasone injection, a therapeutic elastic bandage (Kinesio tape), and an NSAID (dexketoprofen trometamol) on postoperative swelling, trismus,
pain following third molar surgery and alterations in the quality of life in the first postoperative week.