The influence of preoperative antibiotics on success of endosseous implants at 36 months.

The benefits of prophylactic antibiotics are well recognized in dentistry. However, their routine use in the placement of endosseous dental implants remains controversial. As part of the comprehensive Dental Implant Clinical Research Group (DICRG) clinical implant study, the preoperative or postoperative use of antibiotics, the type used, and the duration of coverage were left to the discretion of the surgeon. These data for 2,973 implants were recorded and correlated with failure of osseointegration during healing (Stage 1), at surgical uncovering (Stage 2), before loading the prosthesis (Stage 3), and from prosthesis loading to 36 months (Stage 4). The results showed a significantly higher survival rate at each stage of treatment in patients who had received preoperative antibiotics.