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Effects of melatonin on postoperative pain and sensory recovery following zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures - A randomized controlled trial.

Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery : official publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
June 1, 2024
Pavithran Ashokkumar et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin in reducing pain and improving nerve healing following zygomaticomaxillary (ZMC) complex fracture surgery.

Results Summary

Melatonin significantly reduced subjective pain perception in early postoperative days and improved neurosensory function, with notable differences in VAS scores and objective tests by the third month.

Population

Sixty-four randomly allocated ZMC fracture patients.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

15 consecutive days

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin
decrease
subjective pain perception
ZMC fracture patients
-
significantly reduced
#1
melatonin
decrease
subjective numbness perception
ZMC fracture patients
-
showed significantly lower self-perceived neurosensory disturbance
#2
melatonin
increase
objective neurosensory assessment using the pinprick test and two-point discrimination
ZMC fracture patients
almost normal sensation by the first month
showed statistically significant improvement to almost normal sensation
#3
melatonin
increase
objective neurosensory assessment using the pinprick test and two-point discrimination
ZMC fracture patients
fully normal sensation by the third month
showed statistically significant improvement to fully normal sensation
#4
prophylactic administration of melatonin
decrease
postoperative pain and sensory recovery
ZMC fracture patients
-
confers significant clinical benefits in terms of reduced postoperative pain and improved sensory recovery
#5
Abstract

Posttraumatic and postsurgical sensory disturbance is a known complication of almost all zygomaticomaxillary (ZMC) complex fractures involving the infraorbital nerve, for which few treatments are effective. Our study used neurosensory assessments to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin on pain and nerve healing following ZMC surgery. Sixty-four randomly allocated ZMC fracture patients were prophylactically administered either oral melatonin or an identical placebo for 15 consecutive days. Pre- and postsurgical clinical parameters included subjective pain, numbness, and objective neurosensory function. Melatonin significantly reduced subjective pain perception in the early postoperative days, with a significant difference in VAS scores between the groups from postoperative day 3 (p = 0.048) until day 7 (p = 0.002). The VAS assessment of subjective numbness perception showed significantly lower self-perceived neurosensory disturbance for patients in the interventional group from the first month (p = 0.039) until the third month (p = 0.005). Objective neurosensory assessment using the pinprick test and two-point discrimination showed statistically significant improvement to almost normal sensation by the first month (p = 0.014) to fully normal sensation by the third month (p = 0.001). The study findings suggest that the prophylactic administration of melatonin confers significant clinical benefits in terms of reduced postoperative pain and improved sensory recovery.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansMelatoninZygomatic FracturesPain, PostoperativeMaleFemaleAdultMaxillary FracturesMiddle AgedPain MeasurementYoung AdultDouble-Blind MethodHypesthesiaRecovery of Function
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations1
Citations/Year1.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.60
Normalized Score0.70
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