Benefits of not Prescribing Prophylactic Antibiotics After Third Molar Surgery

The aim of the study is to reinstate the fact that antibiotics are not required as prophylaxis for third molar surgery. So the standard of care after extraction of mandibular third molar surgery for all healthy patients should be a good anti-inflammatory regimen rather than a antibiotic prophylaxis.

Surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar is the most common procedure and many complications are usually encountered in this procedure like-pain, trismus, infection, swelling, inflammation and nerve damage. Now, the question that arises is does the age old practice of prescribing postoperative antibiotics solve these problems or adds on some new. The data collected and analysed in our observational study, however, reinstates that instead, it is the proper aseptic precautions and good anti-inflammatory regimen that are more important than the prophylactic antibiotics (Pasupathy and Alexander in J Craniofac Surg, 2011). Moreover, giving antibiotics means opening up the loopholes to bacterial resistance.

A retrospective analysis of the data collected from 40 patients coming to the department of Dental and Implant Surgery, Karamsad, Anand between October 2014 and December 2014, operated for third molar surgery was carried out.

Data from 40 patients requiring disimpaction of mandibular third molar was analysed. Postoperatively, only anti-inflammatory medication was prescribed to all the patients.

None of the patients showed any of the signs or symptoms of infection.