Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a prophylactic
single preoperative dose of amoxicillin in decreasing complications after lower third molar
surgery.
Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 400 patients randomly divided in two groups
consisting of 200 patients per each group. The patients underwent third molar surgery at the
Department of Oral Surgery, Clinical Hospital Dubrava, Croatia, in the period between April
2010. and November 2016. Unlike the patients from the second group, the first group of
patients had never been diagnosed inflammation prior the surgical procedure. The main tested
groups were further divided in two subgroups (control and tested): the tested subgroup (100
patients) received a prophylactic single dose of 2 g amoxicillin an hour prior the procedure,
while the second control subgroup (100 patients) received a placebo. Complications, including
swelling, alveolar osteitis (AO), infection at the surgical site (SSI), limited mouth
opening, pain, bleeding, and increased body temperature, were evaluated postoperatively.
Evaluation was done on the first postoperative day and 7 days after surgery.