Study Finds Patients on Long-Term Steroid Therapy Do Not Need an Extra Dose Prior to Oral Surgery

Many individuals are on a long-term regimen of glucocorticoids, a type of steroid used to treat adrenal problems, asthma, immune-mediated diseases, and organ transplant recipients. Standard dental practice previously suggested that taking an additional glucocorticoid dose prior to oral surgery would reduce the risk of adrenal crisis. New research published in the Journal of the American Dental Association debunks this practice. The study “Steroid Supplementation Before Minor Oral Surgical Procedures in Patients Taking Long-Term Glucocorticoids: A Triple-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial” found that those patients who did not take a supplemental dose of glucocorticoid prior to oral surgery did not experience any more adverse effects than those who did. Click here to read more.