Primary and secondary closure of the surgical wound after removal of impacted mandibular third molars: a comparative study

Primary and secondary closure techniques after removal of impacted third molars were compared in terms of post-operative pain and swelling. Two hundred patients with impacted third molars were randomly divided into two groups of 100. Panoramic radiographs were taken to assess degree of eruption and angulation of third molars. Teeth were extracted, and in Group 1 the socket was closed by hermetically suturing the flap. In Group 2 a 5–6 mm wedge of mucosa adjacent to the second molar was removed to obtain secondary healing. Swelling and pain were evaluated for 7 days after surgery with the VAS scale. The statistical analysis ( ∗analysis of variance for repeated measures, P