Antibacterial suture vs silk for the surgical removal of impacted lower third molars. A randomized clinical study.

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological impact of an antibacterial suture (Monocryl® Plus) in the surgical removal of I3M. Material and Methods A “split-mouth”, prospective pilot clinical study was designed involving 20 patients programmed for the surgical removal of I3M. Each side was randomly sutured with Monocryl® Plus or silk suture and removed for microbiological study 72 hours and 7 days after surgery. Presence of SSI, wound bleeding and the degree of discomfort associated with each type of suture material (scored by means of a visual analog scale) were evaluated. The level of contamination of each material was observed under the scanning elec…