This randomized controlled trial aims to compare electrocautery and scalpel blade incisions during surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. The study will evaluate postoperative pain, intraoperative blood loss, and wound healing in patients undergoing third molar surgery. A total of 78 participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either a scalpel blade incision or an electrocautery incision under standardized surgical conditions.
Surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars is one of the most common procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The type of incision used may influence postoperative outcomes, including pain, bleeding, and wound healing. Electrocautery offers simultaneous cutting and coagulation, potentially reducing intraoperative blood loss and improving surgical visibility, whereas scalpel incisions produce precise tissue cuts without thermal injury. This prospective, two-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial will compare electrocautery and scalpel blade incisions in patients undergoing surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. Seventy-eight participants will be randomly assigned to either Arm A (scalpel blade incision) or Arm B (electrocautery incision). All other surgical and perioperative variables, including local anesthesia, flap design, irrigation, suture material, and postoperative medications, will be standardized. The primary outcome is postoperative pain assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days. Secondary outcomes include intraoperative blood loss and wound healing assessed using the Landry Wound Healing Index at 1 and 4 weeks. The findings of this study will provide evidence regarding the most appropriate incision technique for impacted mandibular third-molar surgery.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
78
A sterile No. 15 stainless-steel scalpel blade will be used to make the mucoperiosteal flap incision during surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar.
A fine electrocautery electrode in cutting mode at a standardized effective power setting will be used to make the mucoperiosteal flap incision during surgical extraction of the impacted mandibular third molar.
Islamic International Dental Hospital
Islamabad, Pakistan
postoperative pain
Postoperative pain at the surgical site will be assessed using a 0-10 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain
Time frame: 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after surgery.
intraoperative blood loss
Total blood loss will be calculated as the increase in gauze weight plus the suction-canister volume after subtracting the recorded irrigation volume. Results will be reported in milliliters (mL).
Time frame: During surgery (from first incision to final suture).
wound healing
Wound healing will be assessed using the Landry Wound Healing Index, scored from 1 (very poor) to 5 (excellent).
Time frame: 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery.
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