Preoperative Versus Postoperative Amoxicillin in Impacted Third Molar Surgery

This prospective observational cohort study evaluated the effects of the timing of amoxicillin use on postoperative recovery and oral health-related quality of life following impacted mandibular third molar surgery. A total of 52 healthy adults aged 18-50 years were included. Participants were classified into two cohorts according to the amoxicillin regimen selected by the treating clinician based on clinical assessment: preoperative amoxicillin, initiated 3 days before surgery and continued for a total of 5 days, or postoperative amoxicillin, initiated on the day of surgery and continued for 5 days. In both cohorts, amoxicillin was administered at a dose of 1000 mg twice daily. Postoperative pain, facial swelling, maximum mouth opening, and oral health-related quality of life were assessed. Pain, swelling, and mouth opening were evaluated on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7, and quality of life was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) on postoperative day 7. The study aimed to compare postoperative recovery between the two antibiotic-timing approaches.