Postoperative recovery after mandibular third molar surgery: a criteria for selection of type of surgical site closure.

This study sought to evaluate postoperative recovery after mandibular third molar surgery, with and without the use of sutures. This study utilized 50 healthy subjects (19 females and 31 males, 18-40 years of age) with bilateral impacted third molars. Two impacted teeth were removed from each patient (60 min maximum operating time). For each patient, the surgical site on one side of the mouth was closed for primary healing by using nonresorbable sutures, while the surgical site on the other side of the mouth was left open for secondary healing. Postoperative recovery was assessed by determining pain (using a visual analog scale) and swelling (by measuring anatomical landmarks pre- and postoperatively on Days 2, 5, and 7) Any incidence of socket infection and hemorrhage were considered to be complications. Both statistical analysis and clinical observation showed that the surgical sites with nonresorbable sutures showed greater swelling and a higher intensity of pain than the surgical sites without sutures; however, there were no statistical or clinical differences in pain and swelling postsurgery at Day 7. The results suggest secondary closure (that is, without sutures) after third molar surgery will produce less postoperative discomfort than primary closure (with nonresorbable sutures).