Evaluation of the Effects of Exogenous Melatonin in Zygomatic Complex Fractures

The objective of this research was to evaluate the benefits of using exogenous melatonin in the preoperative period of patients with zygomatic complex fractures.

A randomized, triple-blind clinical trial of independent samples was carried out. The sample was divided into two groups: G1 (melatonin) and G2 (placebo). Interventions were standardized with 10 mg melatonin or placebo the night before surgery and 1 h before the start of surgery. The studied variables were level of salivary cortisol, level of anxiety, pain, and use of rescue analgesics. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed, with a margin of error considered as 5%.

A total of 14 patients were included, and after using the medication, the measurement of cortisol was reduced in the melatonin group (0.48 ± 0.25 to 0.43 ± 0.13 μg/100 ml) and increased in the placebo group (0.19 ± 0.12 to 0.23 ± 0.18 μg/100 ml). There was a reduction in the level of anxiety in the melatonin group and an increase in the placebo group. After two hours of surgery, the pain was statistically less in the melatonin group (4.50 ± 1.38) compared to the placebo group (6.17 ± 0.98). Six hours after surgery, pain showed regression in both groups. Patients in the placebo group (83.3%) used more rescue analgesics than melatonin group (33.3%) in the postoperative period.

Thus, this research demonstrated that melatonin can be effective in reducing salivary cortisol and anxiety after medication, and patients in the melatonin group needed less rescue analgesics in the postoperative period.