Effect of preoperative single doses of diclofenac and methylprednisolone on wound healing

Abstract

Anti-inflammatory drugs should impair wound healing, which may explain why they have been used to only a limited extent to relieve pain. If they are to have maximal effect they must be started before the operation. In the present study, single doses of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent diclofenac or of diclofenac and the corticosteroid methylprednisolone were given before operation, and the effects on wound healing after operative extraction of third molars were recorded. Patients developed 18 postoperative complications (5%), the most common of which was alveolar osteitis (n = 14), followed by bleeding (n = 3) and infection (n = 1). Pretreatment with diclofenac alone or in combination with methylprednisolone did not result in a notable increase in the incidence of complications as compared to placebo.