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Prophylactic penicillin for intraoral wounds.
M T Steele1, C R Sainsbury, W A Robinson
1Department of Emergency Health Services, Truman Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri 64108.
Annals of Emergency Medicine
|August 1, 1989
Summary
Prophylactic penicillin may help prevent infections in intraoral lacerations. Patients receiving penicillin had fewer infections compared to placebo, especially when compliant with therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Intraoral lacerations from trauma or seizures are common.
- The role of prophylactic antibiotics in preventing infection in these wounds is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if prophylactic penicillin VK prevents infection in intraoral lacerations.
- To assess the efficacy of penicillin in managing wounds secondary to minor trauma or seizures.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Adult patients with uninfected intraoral wounds received either penicillin VK or placebo for five days.
- Wound infection was assessed clinically over a 4-5 day follow-up period.
Main Results:
- Fewer infections occurred in the penicillin group (2/30) compared to the placebo group (6/32), though not statistically significant (P = .05).
- When analyzing only compliant patients, none in the penicillin group developed infections versus five in the placebo group (P = .027).
- Wound etiology differed between groups, with assault more frequent in the placebo group.
Conclusions:
- Prophylactic penicillin may benefit patients with intraoral wounds, particularly if they are compliant with treatment.
- Further research is needed to fully establish the role of prophylactic antibiotics for intraoral lacerations.