Impact of Drains on the Postoperative Sequel Following Third Molar Surgery: An Original Research

Abstract

Purpose: This paper is aimed at assessing the role of a rubber drain in the postoperative sequel following third molar surgery.

Materials and method: A comparative split-mouth study has been implemented on 60 patients with identical partially erupted bilateral wisdom teeth necessitating their removal. All surgical interventions for the removal of impacted third molars were performed using a modified Ward’s incision followed by bone guttering and tooth sectioning. The right side of the patient was designated as the test side where following the surgical intervention a rubber drain was placed and stabilized at the anterior release of the surgical incision while on the left side of the patient was designated as control side where following the surgical intervention the anterior release of the surgical incision was not sutured to facilitate drainage. The impact of the drains in the postoperative sequel following the removal of wisdom teeth surgically was evaluated using parameters like postoperative swelling, pain, trismus and wound infections.

Results: The results of this study reveal that there is no appreciable positive impact of using a drain on postoperative sequel like pain, swelling and trismus following third molar surgery. Pain was relatively more in the test side on the third postoperative day when compared to the control side. With regards to wound infections, 3 patients on the test side developed wound infection in the postoperative period while none experienced wound infection on the control side.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the use of a rubber drain do not have any positive impact on reducing the postoperative sequel