Effect of Intraoral Drainage after Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Extraction on Non-Infectious Postoperative Complications

Comparative Evaluation of the Placement of Drain Versus Normal Suturing to Eliminate Postoperative Complications After the Surgical Removal of Impacted Third Molar

Objective This study aimed to compare the efficiency of corrugated rubber drains and sutures in preventing complications after the surgical removal of impacted mandibular molars. Methodology Sixty patients enrolled for surgical extraction of wisdom teeth were studied. The patients were divided into two groups of 30. After extraction, Group A received a corrugated flat rubber drain and Group B had only conventional knotted sutures in the extraction site. Patients were evaluated for postoperative pain, edema, and trismus. Before the procedure and on postoperative days 1, 2, and 7, all parameters were measured and compared. Results Patients in Group A with surgical drains showed a significant reduction in all postoperative challenges in contrast to Group B with normal sutures. The intergroup comparison indicates that pain was highest before surgery and showed a significant reduction by day 7 in both groups. Similarly, trismus was also at its peak before surgery for both groups. However, in contrast to Group A, Group B with suturing alone demonstrated a substantial reduction in trismus by day 7. By the end of day 7, edema had substantially decreased in both groups, but it was not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions The placement of surgical drains and the use of sutures alone have both shown similar and significant benefits in preventing postoperative challenges. However, intraoral drainage with a flat drain after mandibular third molar removal showed a significant reduction of pain, as measured by the visual analog scale (VAS) scale, or postoperative swelling.

Clinical and Biochemical Evaluation of the Use of Alb-PRF versus L-PRF in Mandibular Third Molar Extractions: A Split-Mouth Randomized Clinical Trial

Bone tissue engineering seeks biomaterials that enable cell migration, angiogenesis, matrix deposition, and tissue regeneration. Blood concentrates like platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) offer a cost-effective source of cells and growth factors to enhance healing. The present study aimed to evaluate heated serum albumin with liquid PRF (Alb-PRF) and L-PRF clinically and biochemically after placement in dental sockets following mandibular third molar extraction. In a controlled, split-mouth study involving 10 volunteers, 20 extracted molars were treated with either Alb-PRF or L-PRF. Post-extraction, pain, trismus, infection presence, and swelling were measured. The concentrations of different analytes in the surgical sites were also examined. The data were statistically analyzed, with significance defined at p < 0.05 (t-test). No significant difference was noted between the groups for pain and trismus, but Alb-PRF showed a significant reduction in swelling on day seven. The Alb-PRF group showed lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (GM-CSF, IL-1b, IL-6, IFNy, IL-8, IL-15, RANTES, and MIP-1a) after seven days, with only higher expressions of MIP-1b, IL-1b, and MCP-1 found in the L-PRF group. Differences were observed in the release of analytes between L-PRF and Alb-PRF, with Alb-PRF significantly reducing edema after seven days. Alb-PRF reduced edema, while L-PRF increased inflammatory cytokines. When compared to L-PRF, Alb-PRF reduced edema and the release of inflammatory cytokines, suggesting promising effects in socket healing while underscoring the role of growth factors and cytokines in potential applications of blood concentrates.

Nd:YAG laser therapy on postoperative pain, swelling, and trismus after mandibular third molar surgery: a randomized double-blinded clinical study

This study aims to evaluate the effect of Nd:YAG laser therapy (NdLT) on postoperative pain, swelling, and trismus after mandibular third molar (M3) surgery. Three hundred patients were randomly divided into the Nd group (n = 100), medication group (n = 100), and Nd+medication (Nd+m) group (n = 100). The WHARFE classification system was used to assess surgical difficulty. After surgery, the Nd group was irradiated by the Nd:YAG laser in very long-pulsed mode (VLP, pulse duration 1 ms, 20 Hz, 4 W, R21-C3) in 6 regions of the extraction socket with a total energy of 300 J. For the medication group, dexamethasone 0.75 mg and loxoprofen 60 mg were prescribed immediately and every 12 h thereafter for 3 days. The Nd+m group received both treatments mentioned above. Pain assessment was performed at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively using the visual analog scale (VAS). Swelling was evaluated by changes in the distance from (1) the tragus to the labial commissure, (2) the tragus to the pogonion, and (3) the mandibular angle to the lateral canthus preoperatively and 72 h postoperatively. Trismus was assessed by the change in maximum mouth opening. Groups Nd and Nd+m had lower VAS scores at 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h (F = 13.80, p = 0.00), but the difference between the two groups was not significant (F = 1.34, p = 0.11). However, no significant difference was observed at 72 h (p = 0.10). There was no significant difference in swelling or trismus among the three groups (p > 0.05). NdLT is an effective approach to improve complications after M3 surgery.

Microbiological Retention on PTFE versus Silk Suture: A Quantitative Pilot Study in Third Molar Surgery

Background: Mandibular third molar (M3M) removal and management of postoperative complications represent a common matter of interest in oral and maxillofacial surgery. This potential quantitative study assessed the ability of two types of surgical sutures, Silk and polytetrafluoroethylene polymer (PTFE), to carry aerobic and anaerobic bacteria on wounds after mandibular third molar surgery, with a collection of the stitches at the suture removal and study in the laboratory on the basis of colony-forming units. Methods: This prospective quantitative study sampled a total of 10 consecutive healthy patients for mandibular third molar surgery at the Oral Surgery School, Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. The mean age of the patients was 31 years (range 25–40 years), seven patients were male and three patients were female. Inclusion criteria were: presence of a partially impacted mandibular third molar. Exclusion criteria were: smoking and diabetes mellitus. Extraction of the mandibular third molar was performed under local anesthesia: after the third molar surgery, two sutures were applied on the surgical site distally to the second mandibular molar: one single 3/0 silk stitch; one single 3/0 PTFE stitch. No sutures were applied on the release incision. Sutures were removed after 7 days and were immediately conserved and sent to the laboratory to be rated on the basis of colony-forming units (CFUs). CFUs were evaluated and reported on GraphPad Prism and transformed into its base 10 logarithm. Data were analyzed with a non-parametric Wilcoxon test, and p-values < 0.05 were evaluated as statistically significant. Results: All the patients attended the suture removal date, and all the sutures were present in the site. None of the surgical sites presented dehiscence. No stitch loss was reported, and no patient reported mouth washing or tooth brushing in the surgery site. All interventions were uneventful and no major complications were reported after M3M surgery. Bacterial retention resulted as statistically greater in silk sutures rather than PTFE sutures, both in Brain Heart Infusion samples (p = 0.003) and Wilkins-Chalgren anaerobe samples (p = 0.002). Conclusions: We found the PTFE suture to be superior to the silk suture in a reduction in the bacterial biofilm in both aerobic and anaerobic evaluations after M3M surgery.