Comparison of Electrocautery and Scalpel Blade Incisions of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars

July 20, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Comparison of Electrocautery and Scalpel Blade Incisions on Postoperative Pain, Intraoperative Blood Loss, and Wound Healing Following Surgical Extraction of Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare electrocautery and scalpel blade incisions during surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. The study will evaluate postoperative pain, intraoperative blood loss, and wound healing in patients undergoing third molar surgery. A total of 78 participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either a scalpel blade incision or an electrocautery incision under standardized surgical conditions.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars is one of the most common procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The type of incision used may influence postoperative outcomes, including pain, bleeding, and wound healing. Electrocautery offers simultaneous cutting and coagulation, potentially reducing intraoperative blood loss and improving surgical visibility, whereas scalpel incisions produce precise tissue cuts without thermal injury.

This prospective, two-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial will compare electrocautery and scalpel blade incisions in patients undergoing surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. Seventy-eight participants will be randomly assigned to either Arm A (scalpel blade incision) or Arm B (electrocautery incision). All other surgical and perioperative variables, including local anesthesia, flap design, irrigation, suture material, and postoperative medications, will be standardized.

The primary outcome is postoperative pain assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days. Secondary outcomes include intraoperative blood loss and wound healing assessed using the Landry Wound Healing Index at 1 and 4 weeks. The findings of this study will provide evidence regarding the most appropriate incision technique for impacted mandibular third-molar surgery.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

78

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
      • Islamabad, Pakistan, 44000
        • Islamic International Dental Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Uzair Luqman, BDS/FCPS

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

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female patients.
  • Age 15 to 65 years.
  • Patients requiring surgical extraction of an impacted mandibular third molar. Patients classified as ASA I or ASA II.
  • Patients willing to provide written informed consent, or assent with parent/guardian permission where applicable, and attend scheduled follow-up visits

Exclusion Criteria:

  • * Patients with uncontrolled systemic disease or immuno-compromised status.

    • Patients with bleeding disorders or those taking anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs that cannot be safely withheld according to physician advice.
    • Patients with pacemaker or implanted electrical cardiac device.
    • Pregnant or lactating patients.
    • Patients with acute infection, pericoronitis, facial space infection, or pus discharge at the surgical site at the time of surgery.
    • Patients requiring bilateral third-molar extraction in the same sitting.
    • Patients unwilling to participate or unable to return for follow-up.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: scalpel blade incision group
Participants will undergo surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars using a sterile No. 15 scalpel blade for the mucoperiosteal flap incision
Procedure: scalpel blade incision
A sterile No. 15 stainless-steel scalpel blade will be used to make the mucoperiosteal flap incision during surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar.
Experimental: electrocautery incision group
Participants will undergo surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars using electrocautery in cutting mode for the mucoperiosteal flap incision
Procedure: electrocautery incision
A fine electrocautery electrode in cutting mode at a standardized effective power setting will be used to make the mucoperiosteal flap incision during surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
postoperative pain
Time Frame: 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after surgery.
Postoperative pain at the surgical site will be assessed using a 0-10 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain
24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after surgery.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
intraoperative blood loss
Time Frame: During surgery (from first incision to final suture).
Total blood loss will be calculated as the increase in gauze weight plus the suction-canister volume after subtracting the recorded irrigation volume. Results will be reported in milliliters (mL).
During surgery (from first incision to final suture).
wound healing
Time Frame: 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery.
Wound healing will be assessed using the Landry Wound Healing Index, scored from 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent).
1 week and 4 weeks after surgery.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Uzair Luqman, BDS/FCPS, department of ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY ISLAMIC INTERNATIONAL DENTAL HOSPITAL

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 (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 20, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IIDC/IRC/2026/7/001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be made publicly available

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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