Does Administration of Oral Versus Intravenous Antibiotics for Third Molar Removal Have an Effect on the Incidence of Alveolar Osteitis or Postoperative Surgical Site Infections?

Purpose: To compare the incidence of postoperative alveolar osteitis (AO) and surgical site infections (SSIs) in 2 separate cohorts of patients undergoing elective third molar removal: those who received postoperative oral (PO) antibiotics and those who received perioperative intravenous (IV) antibiotics.

Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort study of all patients 14 to 30 years old undergoing elective outpatient third molar removal under a single surgeon's service over a 12-year period was completed. Patients undergoing third molar removal during the first 72 months received postoperative PO antibiotics alone. Patients undergoing third molar removal during the second 72 months received perioperative IV antibiotics alone. The primary predictor variable for the study was the antibiotic regimen used at the time of third molar removal. The primary outcome variable was the postoperative development of AO or SSI. Covariates included age and gender. Univariable and multivariable regression models assessed for associations between the antibiotic regimen used and the presence of AO and SSI.

Results: The study sample consisted of 1,895 patients (1,020 patients receiving postoperative PO antibiotics and 875 patients receiving perioperative IV antibiotics). Of patients receiving postoperative PO antibiotics, 6.4% developed AO an average of 5.7 days after the procedure and 2.6% developed an SSI an average of 23.2 days after the procedure. Of patients receiving perioperative IV antibiotics, 5.5% developed AO an average of 6.2 days after the procedure and 3.3% developed an SSI an average of 18.2 days after the procedure. No statistically significant associations between the antibiotic regimen used and the presence of AO or SSI were identified in univariable (P = 0.42 for AO, P = 0.32 for SSI) or multivariable (P = 0.65 for AO, P = 0.26 for SSI) analyses. In the postoperative PO antibiotic cohort, older age (P < .001) and female gender (P < .001) were significantly associated with the development of AO, and female gender (P = .015) was significantly associated with the presence of an SSI. In the perioperative IV antibiotic cohort, female gender was significantly associated with the development of AO (P = .011), and younger age was significantly associated with the presence of an SSI (P = .011).

Conclusion: The use of a postoperative PO versus a perioperative IV antibiotic regimen does not significantly alter the incidence of AO or SSI after elective third molar removal. If the surgeon chooses to use antibiotics in the setting of third molar surgery, then perioperative IV antibiotics are preferable over postoperative PO antibiotics because they obviate any issues with patient compliance and might be less costly.