Efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in intraoral bone grafting procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) in intraoral bone grafting procedures for the prevention of postoperative infection (POI). Electronic and manual searches were conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome assessed was receptor site POI; secondary outcomes assessed included donor site POI, wound dehiscence, pain, graft failure, need for re-grafting, adverse events, patient satisfaction, and quality of life. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to obtain risk ratios of dichotomous data. Four RCTs were selected: one examined AP versus placebo and concluded that there was an increased risk of POI without AP; three examined comparative antibiotic regimens and found no statistically significant difference between them. A meta-analysis of prophylactic regimens, including data from the two RCTs that compared preoperative AP to perioperative AP, indicated no statistically significant difference in POI outcomes (P= 0.94, risk ratio 0.94). It was not possible to conduct further meta-analyses for POIs or for any secondary outcomes due to insufficient published data. The risk of bias assessment indicated an overall unclear risk of bias. On the basis of the present review, there is insufficient evidence to support or refute AP for the prevention of POIs in intraoral bone graft placement procedures.