The use of antibiotic prophylaxis in implantology

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The use of antibiotic in Implantology is widely applied in order to prevent both post-surgery infection and implant loss. Nevertheless, its need and effectiveness are not consensual in academic literature. OBJECTIVE: this paper aims to verify the need of antibiotic prophylaxis on patients subjected to osseointegrated implant surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: publications about this subject were searched on LILACS, SCIELO and PUBMED data bases, both in Portuguese and in English. RESULTS: the analysis of this literature has shown that antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended to patients with risk of infective endocarditis, immunosuppressed, when the surgical site had previously been infected, in extensive procedures which require a great number of implants and/or the usage of biomaterial. The randomized clinical trials published in literature have no methodology standardization, abiotic type, dosage protocols, procedures applied, quantity of implants applied per patient, control and lack of standardization from operators, which makes it difficult to establish a protocol. CONCLUSION: the rate of successful osseointegrated implants is not associated to the prescription of antibiotics pre or post-surgery, but to a correct recommendation, planning, proper surgical technique, and to efficient pre and post-surgery procedures. Antibiotic prophylaxis must be recommended to patients who possess any systemic condition that justify its use. On healthy patients, there must be a rigorous local asepsis, a correct tissue handling and the use of proper technique to offer the patient an excellent post-surgical and, equally, treatment success.