Restorative Dental Treatment and Endodontic Surgery in a Pregnant Patient Receiving Corticosteroids

Corticosteroid therapy (CST) can be used to treat complicated pregnancy. Second trimester of pregnancy is the preferred period to perform dental treatments. The long-term use of CST may result in hyperglycemia, hypertension, immunosuppression, and adrenal suppression, which, theoretically, may cause adrenal crisis during surgical procedures. The risk of adrenal crisis at the dental clinic caused by exogenous CST depends on the dosage, duration of treatment, route of administration, frequency, time lapse since the last dose, and type of procedure performed. Current evidence found that patients on CST undergoing general dental procedures or minor surgical procedures under local anesthesia do not require supplementary corticosteroids.
Source: Dental Clinics of North America - Category: Dentistry Authors: Source Type: research