The efficacy of antibiotic administration in the impacted mandibular third molar extraction

Yeo, Hwan Ho; Jeong, Jong Hown; Park, Joo Cheol; Kang, Tae Ho

Abstract

To evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic administration in the impacted mandibular third molar extraction the author investigated 107 patients requiring extraction of the lower third molar who visited at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chosun Dental Hospital and were healthy without medical problems and had no signs and symptoms of infection around the lower third molar. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the method of antibiotics administration: 13 patients without antibiotic administration(group 1), 30 patients with only intravenous injection of Cefazoline(R) 2.0g 30 minutes before the procedure(group 2), 39 patients with intravenous injection of Cefazoline(R) 2.0g 30 minutes before the procedure and oral administration of follow-up dosages of Augmentin(R) for 1 day(group 3), and 25 patients with intravenous injection of Cefazoline(R) 2.0g 30 minutes before the procedure and oral administration of follow-up dosages of Augmentin(R) for 3 day(group 4). Infection rates after extraction were calculated and compared according to gender, the age of the patients, the level of impaction, and also compared between four groups. The results were as follows. 1. The overall infection rate was 8.4%. 2. The infection rate was higher in male(11.9%) than in female(4.2%), but there were statistically no significant differences between them. 3. Infection rate was lower in patients under age 30(7.2%) than in patients over age 30(12.5%), but there were statistically no significant differences between them. 4. Infection rate was higher in patients with complete bony impacted tooth(11.1%) than in patients with partial bony impacted tooth(6.5%), but there were statistically no significant differences between them. 5. Infection rate was 7.7% in group 1, 10.0% in group 2, 10.3% in group 3, 4.0% in group 4 and there were statistically no significant differences between groups. In summary, it is more important to extract the impacted lower third molar under aseptic condition and to minimize the injury of tissue if possible than to administer the preventive antibiotics in reducing the infection rate in healthy patients without medical problems who had no signs and symptoms of infection around the lower third molar.