Tejashree Rajanna

Background: The postoperative sequelae after third molar surgery include pain, swelling and trismus, Zinc acts as anti-inflammatory agent, can promote wound healing, immune system modulation, tissue repair, and significant reduction in the use of analgesics for oral pain. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of oral zinc lozenge given 30 min before surgery on reducing postoperative sequelae. Materials and Methods: We recruited 70 patients, randomly assigned to two groups: Zinc and Control group, groups received 40mg Zinc lozenge, placebo lozenge 30 min before surgery respectively and every 6h till 72h after surgery. Third molar extraction was performed under local anesthesia. After extraction, pain, swelling, and mouth opening in both groups observed till 72h. Statistical Analysis: Preoperative and postoperative measurement of visual analog scale scores for pain, edema, interincisal opening, was analyzed using Student t test or ANOVA, Chi-square or Mann-Whit­ney U test was performed for non-parametric samples. P < 0> Results: The overall incidence of Pain in the Zinc group was 18% compared to 43% in the Control group (P = .003) Incidence of Pain, swelling, and mouth opening at different time intervals 6h, 24h, 48h and 72h were significantly (P >0.05) better in Zinc group Conclusion: oral zinc lozenge administered 30 minutes preoperatively can significantly reduce complications like pain, swelling, and limited mouth opening after third molar extraction.   Keywords: Postoperative sequelae, Third molar, Zinc