Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in orthognathic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in orthognathic surgery can effectively reduce the postoperative infection rate. STUDY DESIGN Electronic databases were searched and reference lists checked. Full articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Study details and outcome data of these reports were statistically analyzed. There was no language limitation. RESULTS Five randomized clinical trials were included in the final review process: 4 articles compared the period of prophylactic antibiotic usage, and 1 compared the infection prevention effect of different types of antibiotics with placebo. Although a significantly higher infection rate was found in the placebo group, no significant difference could be found related to infection prevention between short- and long-term antibiotic regimen. CONCLUSIONS Prophylactic antibiotic regimen is considered to be useful for infection prevention in orthognathic surgery. A single-dose regimen is recommended; application for extended postoperative period is not advocated.