ABSTRACT
Third molar extraction has become a frequent surgical practice for dentists. To minimize the postextraction infection, an antibiotics prescription is usually given. However, excessive antibiotic usage may also lead to several adverse reactions and bacterial resistance. The objective of this review is to understand the advantages and the risk of antibiotics prescription on third molar removal treatment. Systematic research was done on PubMed, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and Wiley using the search terms (“Odontectomy” OR “Third molar extraction”) AND (“Antibiotics”). For this study, 92 articles were examined and only 7 were selected for this review. The Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was used. Results showed that antibiotics such as clindamycin and penicillin reduce trismus, swelling, and pain after postoperative compared to placebo. Quality of life (QoL) is also slightly better in patients who were prescribed amoxicillin after surgery. Amoxicillin also reduces postoperative infections such as alveolar osteitis and dry socket. It can be concluded that antibiotics are still preferable to be given after the third molar extraction. Proper extraction methods and drug dosage must be fully understood by the operator to minimize infection and the drug's adverse effects.
