Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To compare the quality of recovery between total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with propofol and balanced inhalational anaesthesia with sevoflurane in patients undergoing intraoral surgical procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective randomised controlled clinical trial on 50 patients (25 per group) who underwent intraoral surgical procedures longer than 30 minutes. The primary outcome was the quality of recovery measured by the QoR-40 questionnaire at 1 hour, 24 hours, and 30 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes included bite force, hand grip strength, incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and postoperative shivering. RESULTS: QoR-40 scores did not differ between groups at any time point (differences from -0.04 to 1.2 points, all p>0.05). Bite force and hand grip strength did not differ between groups. However, TIVA eliminated PONV (0% vs 28%, p=0.010, NNT=4) and shivering (0% vs 36%, p=0.002, NNT=3). CONCLUSION: TIVA and sevoflurane result in a similar quality of recovery after intraoral procedures. However, TIVA eliminates PONV and shivering, which represents a clinically significant benefit for patients undergoing intraoral surgery.