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The effects of melatonin prophylaxis on sensory recovery and postoperative pain following orthognathic surgery: a triple-blind randomized controlled trial and biochemical analysis.

International journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery
April 1, 2020
T Y C Lee et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin in improving nerve healing and reducing postoperative pain and numbness following orthognathic surgery.

Results Summary

Melatonin significantly reduced subjective pain by 50% in early postoperative days and numbness by 30% at 1 week, increasing to over 80% by 3 months. It also improved objective neurosensory function and antioxidant enzyme levels while reducing hydrogen peroxide concentration.

Population

Thirty randomly allocated orthognathic surgery patients.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

21 consecutive days

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
decrease
subjective pain perception
orthognathic patients
50%
significantly reduce
#1
melatonin
decrease
subjective numbness perception
orthognathic patients
30%
reduction
#2
melatonin
decrease
subjective numbness perception
orthognathic patients
over 80%
reduction
#3
melatonin
increase
healing profile
orthognathic patients
-
significant improvement
#4
melatonin
decrease
hydrogen peroxide concentration
orthognathic patients
-
was lower
#5
melatonin
increase
levels of antioxidant enzymes
orthognathic patients
-
were higher
#6
prophylactic administration of melatonin
decrease
postoperative pain
-
-
confers significant clinical benefits
#7
prophylactic administration of melatonin
decrease
opioid use
-
-
confers significant clinical benefits
#8
prophylactic administration of melatonin
increase
sensory recovery
-
-
confers significant clinical benefits
#9
Abstract

Post-surgical neuropathy is a known complication of many surgical procedures for which few remedies are effective. This study used neurosensory assessments and biochemical assays to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin on nerve healing following orthognathic surgery. Thirty randomly allocated orthognathic patients were prophylactically administered either oral melatonin or identical placebo for 21 consecutive days. Pre- and post-surgical clinical parameters included subjective pain, numbness, and objective neurosensory function. Pre- and post-surgical biochemical parameters were serum hydrogen peroxide and antioxidant enzyme levels. Melatonin was found to significantly reduce subjective pain perception by 50% in the early postoperative days. A 30% reduction in subjective numbness perception was observed at 1-week postoperative, increasing to an over 80% reduction by 3 months postoperative (P<0.00001). Objective neurosensory testing showed a significant improvement in healing profile in the melatonin group. Postoperatively, the hydrogen peroxide concentration was lower in the melatonin group (P<0.00001), and the levels of antioxidant enzymes were higher (P<0.00001). The strong correlations between clinical outcomes and biochemical changes suggest a link between antioxidant effects and reduced postsurgical pain and sensory recovery. The study findings suggest that the prophylactic administration of melatonin confers significant clinical benefits in terms of reduced postoperative pain and opioid use and improved sensory recovery following surgery.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Double-Blind MethodHumansMelatoninOrthognathic SurgeryOrthognathic Surgical ProceduresPain, Postoperative
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy90/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations11
Citations/Year2.2
Relative Citation Ratio1.43
NIH Percentile63.3%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.42
Normalized Score0.73
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