Comparative Study of Post-operative Complications in Third Molar Surgery with and without Sutures: A Prospective Study

Objective and Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the post-operative complication in third molar surgery with and without suture. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 healthy subjects belonging to both the sexes in the age group 20-40 years with bilateral impacted third molar underwent surgical removal under local anesthesia in a single sitting. The post-operative pain was recorded on visual analog scale for 7 days, and swelling was measured on day 3, 5, and 7 with reference to four anatomical landmarks. Results and Observations: Both the statistical analysis and clinical observation showed that both pain and swelling were more on the sutured side compared to sutureless side. However, there were some complications related to the socket left open to the oral cavity without suture. Conclusion: The study concludes that post-operative complications such as pain and swelling were less without suture placement. The decision of placing sutures may depend on the category of the impacted tooth and patient compliance.