Work

Topical Antiseptic or Antimicrobial Preparation for Oral Cavity Surgery: Is It Necessary and Does It Help?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BackgroundIt is well established that the risk of surgical site infections (SSI) can be reduced with the use of topical and intravenous antiseptic and antimicrobial preparations for surgery requiring skin incisions [1].However, there remains significant practice variability in using topical preparations for mucosal surgery in the head and neck [1].As the oral cavity serves as an entryway to the aerodigestive tract, its diverse microbiome presents a unique challenge for infection prevention that differs from other surgical sites.For example, SSI prevention often includes the use of alcohol-based antiseptics, which are contraindicated in head and neck and mucosal surgery [2].Although general recommendations on topical antiseptic preparations exist, guidelines specific to head and neck surgery are still missing.This review will examine current evidence as to whether topical antiseptic and antimicrobial use in oral cavity surgery could lead to meaningful reduction in post-operative morbidity.

Source: The Laryngoscope

DOI: 10.1002/lary.70273

Authors: Veenadhari Kollipara, Kunal Koka, Christian Gluck, Neerav Goyal

Institutions: Pennsylvania State University, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Surgical site infection prevention

Subfield: Surgery

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,840