Role of Prophylactic Dose of Oral Amoxicillin Trihydrate in Prevention of Bacteremia Post Surgical Removal of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar: A Clinical Study

The current study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of pre-operative prophylactic antibiotic for prevention of bacteremia after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar SRIMTM. The study was carried out as an open clinical trial. Fifty patients who fulfilled the criteria were included. Twenty five randomly selected patients (study group) were administered two grams oral dose of amoxicillin trihydrate, one hour prior to the procedure. Twenty five patients (control group) were not administered any antibiotic prior to the procedure. All patients underwent surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molar through intraoral approach under local anesthesia. Blood culture for detection of aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms was done for all 50 patients. Eleven out of the twenty five patients (44%) in the control group showed positive growth, including mixed growth (aerobic and anaerobic). Seven patients showed purely anaerobic, 2 patients purely aerobic and two mixed growth. In the study (antibiotic) group, 7 out of the 25 patients (28%) showed positive growth, including mixed growth. Three patients showed purely anaerobic, 2 patients purely aerobic and 2 mixed type of growth. The study suggests that the judicious use of antibiotic prophylaxis, in conjunction with optimal oral health care serves to minimize the adverse effects of antibiotic therapy; and at the same time reduce the significant morbidity and mortality associated with systemic infections that might occur due to bacteremia resulting from surgical procedures of the oral cavity.