ROLE OF PREOPERATIVE ANTIBIOTICS IN PREVENTION OF POSTOPERATIVE INFECTION AFTER IMPACTED MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLAR SURGERY

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the role of preoperative antibiotics in prevention of postoperative infection among patients undergoing impacted mandibular third molar surgery. A randomized controlled study was conducted at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry/ Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore from January 2018 to June 2018. A total of one hundred fifty patients, randomized into two equal groups A and B by using lottery method, having impacted mandibular third molar of similar difficulty index were operated for surgical extraction. Group A (without antibiotic cover) did not receive prophylactic antibiotic cover, whereas group B (with antibiotic cover) received preoperative antibiotics, 2 gram amoxicillin capsule one hour prior to surgical intervention. Data concerning patient’s demographics, preoperative antibiotics and status of postoperative infection was obtained and analyzed. Among 150 patients, 58(38.7%) were males and 92(61.3%) were females with average age of 25.36±5.01 years. The infection rate in group A was 28.0% as compared to 6.7% in group B, and the difference was highly significant statistically with p-value 0.001. The results of this study confirmed that a preoperative antibiotic reduces the chances of postoperative infection in impacted third molar surgery.