Microbial adherence on various intraoral suture materials in patients undergoing dental surgery.
OBJECTIVE
Sutures used in oral surgery should avoid or limit bacterial adhesion and proliferation to those parts exposed to oral fluids. Hence, microbial colonization on various intraoral suture materials from patients undergoing dental surgery was compared.


METHODS
During dentoalveolar surgery, various suture materials were used in 60 patients, who were randomly divided into 5 groups of 12. In each group, silk was placed intraorally in association with a different type of suture (ie, Supramid, Synthofil, Ethibond Excel, Ti-cron, Monocryl) at the same site to compare microbial colonization intraindividually. Eight days postoperatively, the sutures were removed, and adhered micro-organisms were isolated, counted, and identified through enzymatic activities and fermentation of sugars.


RESULTS
In all 60 patients, silk sutures exhibited the smallest affinity toward the adhesion of bacteria compared with considerable proliferation with nonresorbable multifilament sutures (Supramid, Synthofil, Ethibond Excel, Ti-cron). On the contrary, the microbial load was significantly lower when absorbable monofilament Monocryl was used. A greater quantity of bacteria was found on nonresorbable sutures than on absorbable ones, and nearly 2 times more facultative anaerobic bacteria were isolated in total.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that bacteria adhere with different affinity to various types of suture materials. Absorbable silk and Monocryl exhibited the smallest number of adherent bacteria. Colonization by pathogens on sutures leads to the recommendation that sutures should be removed as early as possible after surgery is performed, to eliminate or to limit the reservoir for oral pathogens. This recommendation is dependent on whether the suture is absorbable.
Banche
Giuliana
G
Department of Public Health and Microbiology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Roana
Janira
J
Mandras
Narcisa
N
Amasio
Mario
M
Gallesio
Cesare
C
Allizond
Valeria
V
Angeretti
Alessandra
A
Tullio
Vivian
V
Cuffini
Anna Maria
AM
D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D009757:Nylons; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D047011:Silk; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013537:Sutures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000382:microbiology*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; C014534:Ethibond; D009757:Nylons; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D047011:Silk