What’s new for the clinician– summaries of recently published papers

Abstract

Periodontitis is a chronic oral disease characterized by inflammation of the gingiva and/or destruction of the connective tissue and alveolar bone that support the teeth. Subgingival microorganisms that adhere to and grow in the periodontal pocket, along with excessive and aggressive immune response against these microorganisms, are considered to cause periodontitis. Therefore, the primary purpose of periodontal treatment is to control subgingival microorganisms. Surgical removal of the third molar is one of the most common interventions in oral surgery and postoperative complaints occur quite frequently. Many clinicians routinely prescribe antibiotics pre-operatively to reduce the chances of post-op infection although there is no consensus on whether this is the best protocol to adopt.