Winds of Change in Antibiotic Therapy following Orthognathic Surgery

Abstract

Background and objectives: This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare three postoperative antibiotic protocols of different durations on surgical-site-infection (SSI) rates following orthognathic surgery for the correction of jaw deformities. Materials and methods: An analysis on data collected from the medical files of 209 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery between 2010 and 2019 was conducted. The patients were divided into three groups according to the postoperative antibiotic protocol—Group 1 (24 h), Group 2 (2–3 days), and Group 3 (>3 days). Dependent and independent variables were collected, analyzed, and compared between the three groups. Results: Group 1 included 30 patients (14.3%), Group 2 included 123 patients (58.9%), and Group 3 included 56 patients (26.8%). The vast majority of the postoperative antibiotics were amoxicillinand clavulanic acid (87.1%). The duration of the surgery and the use of a feeding tube were significantly different between Groups 1 and 3 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). There was no significant difference in SSI rates between the three groups (p = 0.642). The use of antibiotics beyond the immediate postoperative period provides no increased benefit regarding infection prevention. Conclusions: In young and healthy patients undergoing orthognathic surgery, a 24hregimen of postoperative antibiotics may be sufficient.