Initial study on facilitating wound healing after tooth extraction by using microbial fiber membrane-flagyl.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of microbial fiber membrane-Flagyl (MF-FLA) on facilitating hemostasis and wound healing and its anti-inflammatory ability after tooth extraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the animal experiment, 60 healthy male rabbits were randomly divided into control and treatment groups. Each group included 5 subgroups corresponding to different experimental periods (1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks) and each subgroup had 6 rabbits. After the different experimental periods, the rabbits were killed, and the mandible was removed for histologic examination and analysis. For the human trial, 80 patients (32 males and 48 females; age range, 13 to 32 years), who were undergoing orthodontic treatment and who had undergone bilateral extraction of teeth were included. For every patient, the left tooth socket was treated with biting gauze for 30 to 60 minutes as the control group. The right fossa was covered with MF-FLA as the treatment group. The wound was inspected visually, its depth was measured, and radiographs were taken at the different experimental periods (1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks) to evaluate the wound healing effect. RESULTS: In the animal experiment, the results of the histologic examination indicated MF-FLA could facilitate the growth of fibroblasts and osteoblasts and inhibit inflammatory cells. In the human trial, the clinical observation indicated that the MF-FLA treatment showed better hemostatic ability than the biting gauze. After 4 weeks, the wound depth of the control and treatment groups was 3.08 ± 0.05 mm and 1.26 ± 1.06 mm (P < .01), respectively. The radiographs showed that the treatment group was superior to control group in the degree and rate of wound healing. CONCLUSION: The results of our study have shown that the MF-FLA can promote early wound healing and reduce the incidence of postextraction complications because of its biocompatibility, isolating and anti-inflammatory ability, and supporting the formation of blood clot in the tooth socket.