Evaluation of the Efficacy of Bisphosphonates in Pain Reduction Following Surgical Extraction of Mandibular Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Study

To evaluate the efficacy of bisphosphonates loaded onto gelatin sponges compared to gelatin sponges alone in reducing pain following surgical extraction of mandibular third molars. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 40 surgical sites in the mandibular third molar region of 20 patients undergoing surgical extractions. The sample was randomly divided into two equal groups based on the material applied in the socket post-extraction; the Control group the gelatin sponge applied after surgical extraction, and the Experimental group: the Bisphosphonates loaded onto the gelatin sponge applied after surgical extraction. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) on the first, third, and seventh days postoperatively. A t-test was used to analyze differences in VAS scores between the groups across time intervals, and the Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance test was employed to evaluate pain score changes over time within each group. In the control group, the mean VAS scores were 3.15 on the first day, 2.6 on the third day, and 1.1 on the seventh-day post-surgery. In the experimental group, the mean VAS scores were 3.05 on the first day, 2.35 on the third day, and 1.0 on the seventh day. Statistical analysis revealed significant pain reduction over time in both groups (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in pain reduction between the two groups (p>0.05). The gelatin sponge alone and bisphosphonates loaded onto the gelatin sponge demonstrated similar post-operative pain scores following surgical extraction of mandibular third molars.