Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider,
Patients with impacted lower third molars may experience less pain and swelling if the growth hormone melatonin is applied to their tooth sockets following surgical removal. The study was published recently in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Read more in our Insider Exclusive.
Did you know that patients undergoing IV sedation who test positive for cannabis may have vital signs and anesthetic requirements similar to those who don't have the drug in their systems? Find out more about this small study that was published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Also, in our Anesthesia & Pain Management Community, clinicians can reduce the amount of anesthetic gas, including nitrous oxide, used during procedures without negatively affecting patient care while helping fight against global warming. The research was presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Advance 2023 event.
In other news, improving trismus in patients may be as easy as opening a wooden clothespin inside their mouths. Clothespins are good options when more traditional devices like tongue depressors aren't available, according to a recent technical note published in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Finally, clinical factors, including pain severity before and during root canals, may be a better predictor of postsurgical pain than sociodemographic characteristics such as race and income, according to a recent study.
