Abstract:

Postoperative care in oral surgery is a key prerequisite for successful treatment and patient satisfaction. The most common postoperative sequel is pain, followed by facial edema, and trismus. Postoperative pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage”. It is caused by tissue trauma and the subsequent inflammatory response. This review aims to summarize and discuss the methods for pain management in oral surgery, identify the research gaps, and give some recommendations for further research. The study results demonstrated that postoperative pain is usually managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioid analgesics, and analgesic combinations. Other methods include corticosteroids, cryotherapy, intraoperative application of autologous platelet concentrates, and physical therapy. Further research is necessary to evaluate the role of these alternative approaches.

Keywords: oral surgery, postoperative pain management, postoperative pain control