Comparative Evaluation of Incidence of Alveolar Osteitis with Bayonet Flap and Envelope Flap in Third Molar Surgery: A Systematic Review
Author(s): Ramvihari Thota, Senthilnathan Periasamy* and Mahathi N
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare two traditionally used surgical techniques to determine if a specific incision/flap design technique can predictably reduce the incidence of complications, particularly AO, in impacted mandibular third molar removal surgery. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the efficacy of Bayonet flap with Envelope flap on the Incidence of Alveolar Osteitis in impacted mandibular third molar surgery. The Databases of PubMed, Cochrane and Google Scholar were searched for the related topics along with a complimentary manual search of all oral surgery journals till December 2019. Articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria, which included all RCTs. Based on the study findings; the modified triangular flap may be superior to the envelope flap in terms of incidence in alveolar osteitis. The modified triangular flap design appears more advantageous than the envelope flap in terms of pain, trismus, and wound dehiscence in the first 3 days following surgical removal of impacted third molar and may have a better impact on QOL during this time. This may also indicate the clinical validity in terms of its ability to differentiate between the two flap groups and the excellent compatibility exhibited with clinically determined alveolar osteitis. Further comparative further studies involving larger populations are still required to determine the best flap technique for third molar surgery.