Effects of Topical Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Wound Healing After Flapless Implant Surgery: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the effects of local application of minocycline hydrochloride ointment (MHO) and erythromycin eye ointment (EEO) on wound healing after flapless implant surgery.

METHODS

Forty patients with flapless implant surgery were enrolled and assigned randomly to three groups: 1) MHO group (n = 17); 2) EEO group (n = 18); and 3) control group (n = 5). All of them took systemic antibiotics; the control group did not receive the application of topical antibiotics. Three days after the surgical operation, clinical parameters, peri-implant crevicular fluid volume, and crevicular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels of all patients were collected, measured, and analyzed.

RESULTS

Clinical outcomes of the two treatment groups were superior to results of the control group, indicating the effectivity of local antibiotics application in promoting early wound healing after flapless implant surgery. There was no obviously different effect between EEO and MHO in the early stages of healing. In addition, there were significant correlations between LPS level and all clinical parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

The local application of antibiotics along with the systemic antibiotics could reduce the inflammatory response in wound healing after implant surgery. The EEO and MHO were equally effective in early wound healing. Compared to the MHO, the EEO has advantages of higher cost efficiency and convenience. Therefore, it is recommended to use the EEO in topical antibiotic prophylaxis for wound healing after flapless implant surgery.