THE USE OF 3RD MOLAR SURGERY IN CLINICAL-PHARMACOLOGY

This review discusses the various sequelae that arise after third mola r surgery and their use for assessing the efficacy of a variety of the rapeutic measures. The surgical procedure provides an opportunity to i nvestigate onset, depth, duration and possible systemic effects of loc al anaesthetic solutions. Also, the anxiety which often accompanies su ch surgery lends itself to the appraisal of different anxiolytic agent s and sedation techniques. The immediate postoperative sequelae of pai n, buccal swelling and trismus provides a useful clinical model for ev aluating the efficacy of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Third molar tooth sockets are susceptible to infection and this propensity enables the assessment of different antibiotic regimens. A further adv antage of the third molar model is its application for crossover studi es, with the patient acting as their own control. Very few surgical pr ocedures afford this facility, which further adds to the value of this model in clinical pharmacology.