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. 2014 Mar;18(2):205-12.
doi: 10.4103/0972-124X.131327.

Evaluation of the role of antibiotics in preventing postoperative complication after routine periodontal surgery: A comparative clinical study

Rosh Radhika Mohan  1 , Dwarakanath Chinni Doraswamy  1 , Ahad M Hussain  1 , Gayatri Gundannavar  1 , Shobha Krishna Subbaiah  1 , Deepika Jayaprakash  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the role of antibiotics in preventing postoperative complication after routine periodontal surgery: A comparative clinical study

Rosh Radhika Mohan et al. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Aim of this randomly controlled clinical study was to evaluate the role of antibiotics to prevent postoperative complications after routine periodontal surgery and also to determine whether their administration improved the surgical outcome.

Materials and methods: Forty-five systemically healthy patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis requiring flap surgery were enrolled in the study. They were randomly allocated to Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, and control groups. Surgical procedures were carried out with complete asepsis as per the protocol. Postoperative assessment of patient variables like swelling, pain, temperature, infection, ulceration, necrosis, and trismus was performed at intervals of 24 h, 48 h, 1 week, and 3 months. Changes in clinical parameters such as gingival index, plaque index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level were also recorded.

Results: There was no incidence of postoperative infection in any of the patients. Patient variables were comparable in all the three groups. Though there was significant improvement in the periodontal parameters in all the groups, no statistically significant result was observed for any group over the others.

Conclusion: Results of this study showed that when periodontal surgical procedures were performed following strict asepsis, the incidence of clinical infection was not significant among all the three groups, and also that antibiotic administration did not influence the outcome of surgery. Therefore, prophylactic antibiotics for patients who are otherwise healthy administered following routine periodontal surgery to prevent postoperative infection are unnecessary and have no demonstrable additional benefits.

Keywords: Antibiotic; asepsis; complications; periodontal surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Armamentarium
Figure 2
Figure 2
Preoperative probing depth (Group B)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Incision placed
Figure 4
Figure 4
Flap reflection and debridement
Figure 5
Figure 5
Sutures placed
Figure 6
Figure 6
Periodontal dressing placed
Figure 7
Figure 7
1 Week postoperative photograph
Graph 1
Graph 1
Comparison of age distribution between the patients
Graph 2
Graph 2
Comparison of gender distribution between the patients
Graph 3
Graph 3
Comparison of mean plaque index between the three groups
Graph 4
Graph 4
Comparison of mean gingival index between the three groups
Graph 5
Graph 5
Mean probing depths between the three groups
Figure 8
Figure 8
Preoperative photograph (Group A)
Figure 9
Figure 9
3 months postoperative photograph (Group A)
Figure 10
Figure 10
Preoperative photograph (Group B)
Figure 11
Figure 11
3 months postoperative photograph (Group B)
Figure 12
Figure 12
Preoperative photograph (Group C)
Figure 13
Figure 13
3 Months postoperative photograph (Group C)
Graph 6
Graph 6
Mean clinical attachment level between the three groups
Graph 7
Graph 7
Comparison of incidence of temperature between the three groups
Graph 8
Graph 8
Comparison of incidence of pain between the three groups
Graph 9
Graph 9
Comparison of incidence of swelling between the three groups
Graph 10
Graph 10
Comparison of incidence of other parameters between the three group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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