Complications After Lower Third Molar Surgery

June 14, 2022 updated by: Branislav Bajkin, University of Novi Sad

Efficacy of the Application of Moxifloxacin and Cefixime in Reduction of Inflammatory Sequelae and Complications After Mandibular Third Molar Surgery

Surgical removal of impacted mandibular wisdom teeth is a frequent intervention, usually accompanied by unpleasant sequelae (pain, swelling and trismus) in the postoperative period, sometimes even with possibly serious complications (dry socket/alveolar osteitis and postoperative infection at the surgical site - SSI). It is therefore advisable to use various medications and procedures to prevent or alleviate the occurrence of these sequelae and complications. Accordingly, there is a debate in the literature on the expedience of perioperative (prophylactic) use of antibiotics. It is interesting that numerous articles recommending perioperative (prophylactic) antibiotic use to patients undergoing the impacted mandibular third molar surgery may be found, as well as those providing arguments for the disagreement with such an approach, considering that its benefits do not outweigh the risks of adverse side effects, especially due to growing resistance of microorganisms towards antibiotics, which is a possible serious threat to global health. Concerning the perioperative (prophylactic) use of antibiotics for this indication, consensus has not yet been reached, and neither of the views has been verified by convincing scientific evidence. Having the aforementioned dilemma in mind, the main endpoint of the study was to determine the validity of perioperative (prophylactic) use of antibiotics as to alleviate customary sequelae and possible complications after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars and, at the same time, the effectiveness of newer antibiotics (moxifloxacin and cefixime) when used for this purpose. Moreover, microbiological investigations of susceptibility of the isolated microorganisms to antibiotics used in this research were performed, which could verify the clinically obtained results. With this in mind, two major contributions, based on scientifically verified results, could be expected from the research: (1) confirmation or refuting the validity of perioperative (prophylactic) antibiotic use to control sequelae or complications that could follow the impacted mandibular third molar surgery; and (2) confirmation of the efficacy of fluoroquinolones (moxifloxacin) and cephalosporins (cefixime) in controlling odontogenic infections.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Clinical research was conducted at the Oral Surgery Department of the Dental Clinic of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia, adopting the double-blind prospective clinical study design. Microbiological studies were performed at the Center for Microbiology of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia, on swab samples obtained from the surgical wounds of patients with postoperative infection or the exudate (pus) obtained from the peri-coronal space of patients with pericoronitis or history of pericoronitis. The susceptibility of isolated microorganisms to moxifloxacin, cefixime and other antibiotics commonly used in oral & maxillofacial surgery (penicillin and its derivatives, erythromycin, azithromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline) was tested microbiologically. Patients ≥18 years, indicated for surgical removal of the impacted mandibular third molars, with good systemic health - patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of Physical Health is a grading system for preoperative health of the surgical patients - ASA I and ASA II were included in the study. Evaluation of the effects of the applied medication was performed on the basis of postoperative sequelae or complications. Complications, including dry socket/alveolar osteitis (AO) and postoperative infection at the surgical site (SSI), and inflammatory sequelae - pain, swelling and trismus (limited mouth opening), were evaluated postoperatively.

In the case of pericoronitis or a history of pericoronitis, with the presence of exudate or pus, as well as in the case of postoperative infection, a swab was taken from the operative wound or pericoronary space, and the punctate of exudate or pus was sent for microbiological analysis. The main goal of this analysis was to establish the susceptibility of microorganisms not only to antibiotics used in this study, but also to antibiotics, which are the "gold standard" in the treatment of odontogenic infections, as well as other commonly used antibiotics in the treatment. Analyses were performed by standard bacteriological techniques (seeding the material on appropriate nutrient media and incubating them at 35-37 °C for 18-24 h) to isolate the bacteria. Identification of bacterial species was performed by classical bacteriological methods (morphological, cultural and physiological-biochemical), as well as by the automated system Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization - Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF), Germany. After identification, susceptibility testing of isolated bacterial species to antimicrobial drugs was performed by standard disk-diffusion method according to Kirby-Bauer, Mueller-Hinton agar and blood Mueller-Hinton agar (HiMedia, India), depending on which bacterial species was in question in line with European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) or Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Guidelines. Discs from Bio-Rad, France, were used to perform the microbiological analyses.

All surgical interventions were performed under local anesthesia, using 2% lidocaine with adrenaline 1: 80,000 in a total 4 ml volume (2 ml solution for injection contained 40 mg lidocaine hydrochloride in the form of lidocaine hydrochloride monohydrate and 0.025 mg adrenaline in the form of adrenaline tartrate: Lidocaine 2% - adrenaline, 40 mg +0.025. In all patients, the surgery involved a triangular mucoperiosteal flap design, sutured using synthetic poly-filament non-resorptive suture material (3-0). Patients were advised to take an analgesic containing 200 mg ibuprofen and 325 mg acetaminophen.

In accordance with known ethical principles and in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice (GCP), care for the well-being of the patients was maximally respected, in accordance with the latest revision of the Declaration of Helsinki and accepted principles that apply to clinical trials on humans. The holder of the protection of the patients in this clinical trial was the principal researcher, who cooperated with the Ethics Committee of the Dental Clinic of Vojvodina, University of Novi Sad. The patients written Informed Consent implied that the patient had received full information about the research, and was stressed that they had the right to decide independently to participate, without coercion and external influences, or any harmful consequences if they refused to participate.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

157

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Vojvodina
      • Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, 21000
        • Dental Clinic of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients ≥18 years, indicated for surgical removal of the impacted mandibular third molars, with good systemic health (patients classified as ASA I and ASA II) were included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • hypersensitivity to study drugs; history of systemic antibacterial therapy within 6 months prior to randomization; pregnancy or breastfeeding; fluoroquinolone-related tendon disorder; clinically relevant cardiac conditions or QT interval prolonging drugs; severe hepatic insufficiency (Child-Pugh C). Also, criteria for not including the patients in the study were cases where, in addition to removing the impacted mandibular third molar, some other oral surgical procedure was performed, as well as patients with currently present pericoronitis.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active Comparator: The first tested group
Patients orally received film-coated tablets with either 400 mg of moxifloxacin. Film-coated tablets were administered for the first five days postoperatively, once a day, in a double-blind manner. All patients were evaluated at the postoperative follow-ups on the first, second and seventh postoperative day.
All used film-coated tablets (400 mg moxifloxacin) were administered for the first five days postoperatively, once a day, after the lower third molar surgery.
Other Names:
  • perioperative/prophylaxis
Active Comparator: Active Comparator: The second tested group
Patients orally received film-coated tablets with either 400 mg of cefixime. Film-coated tablets were administered for the first five days postoperatively, once a day, in a double-blind manner. All patients were evaluated at the postoperative follow-ups on the first, second and seventh postoperative day.
All used film-coated tablets (400 mg cefixime) were administered for the first five days postoperatively, once a day, after the lower third molar surgery.
Other Names:
  • perioperative/prophylaxis
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Comparator: The control group
One third of patients received placebo-tablets containing indifferent substances with no antimicrobial action (99% microcrystalline cellulose, 0.5% silicon dioxide and 0.5% magnesium stearate, which were of the same colour and overall appearance as the used antibiotics. Film-coated tablets were administered for the first five days postoperatively, once a day, in a double-blind manner. All patients were evaluated at the postoperative follow-ups on the first, second and seventh postoperative day.
All used film-coated placebo-tablets were administered for the first five days postoperatively, once a day, after the lower third molar surgery.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of postoperative infection at the surgical site (SSI)
Time Frame: Up to 12 weeks (3 months) after surgery.
Signs of postoperative infection were registered clinically, based on the presence of local signs of inflammation and general signs of intoxication (elevated body temperature, accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation, leucocytosis, the level of C-reactive protein, etc. ).
Up to 12 weeks (3 months) after surgery.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dry socket (alveolar osteitis)
Time Frame: Through 7 days.
The dry socket (alveolar osteitis) was diagnosed based on reported severe pain in the wound area, accompanied by specific local clinical appearance of the operative wound and absence of pus.
Through 7 days.
Postoperative pain assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS)
Time Frame: 1st, 2nd day and 7th day after surgery.
The postoperative pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). VAS represents a horizontally drawn length of 100 mm, the beginning of which indicates a pain-free state on the left side, and the end on the right side the state of the strongest pain imaginable. All patients, by placing a dash on the scale, indicated the intensity of pain that, on the appropriate day in the postoperative period, they felt in its strongest intensity. The intensity of pain was determined by measuring the distance of the marked place on the scale from the beginning of the scale on the left side and expressed in millimeters.
1st, 2nd day and 7th day after surgery.
Postoperative swelling (oedema)
Time Frame: 1st, 2nd day and 7th day after surgery.
The postoperative swelling (oedema) coefficient was obtained by measuring the preoperative and postoperative distance between specific reference points in millimetres. The reference points were: the outer corner of the eye and the angle of the lower jaw; lip corner and tragus; and chin tip and tragus.
1st, 2nd day and 7th day after surgery.
Postoperative trismus (maximum inter-incisal opening of mouth)
Time Frame: 1st, 2nd day and 7th day after surgery.
The degree of postoperative trismus was assessed by measuring the distance between mesio-incisal angles of the upper and lower central incisors at the maximum mouth opening ability.
1st, 2nd day and 7th day after surgery.
Postoperative pain assessed by verbal rating scale (VRS)
Time Frame: 1st to 7th day after surgery.
The postoperative pain was assessed using a verbal rating scale (VRS). VRS involves a numerical assessment of pain intensity based on six degrees (1-6) - no pain, barely sensitive pain, mild pain, moderate pain, severe pain and very strong, almost unbearable pain.
1st to 7th day after surgery.
Postoperative pain assessed by number of analgesics
Time Frame: 1st to 7th day after surgery.
In each patient, the moment of postoperative pain, its intensity at the indicated observation times was registered, and the need for additional analgesics was registered (patients recorded the number of analgesics consumed daily from the completed surgical intervention to suture removal in the postoperative pain monitoring protocol).
1st to 7th day after surgery.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rate of antibiotic susceptibility and resistance of isolated microorganisms in vitro (microbiological assessment).
Time Frame: Up to 12 weeks (3 months) after surgery.
The sensitivity of isolated microorganisms to moxifloxacin, cefixime and other antibiotics commonly prescribed in oral and maxillofacial surgery was tested microbiologically. Regarding the susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs, bacteria were classified according to the growth inhibition zone, into three categories: susceptible (S), intermediate (I) and resistant (R).
Up to 12 weeks (3 months) after surgery.
Incidence of adverse drug events (ADEs) in the clinical trial
Time Frame: Up to 24 days after surgery.
During the study, any adverse event to drugs used in the clinical study will be recorded in accordance with the GCP.
Up to 24 days after surgery.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Branislav V Bajkin, MD, DMD, PhD, Dental Clinic of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad
  • Study Director: Branimir D Stošić, DMD, PhD, University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 7, 2019

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

December 31, 2023

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 27, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 23, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

August 30, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 15, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 14, 2022

Last Verified

June 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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