Preoperative Prophylactic Antibiotics in Mandibular Fractures and Surgical Site Infection.

Background: Compared with other facial fractures, mandibular fractures have the highest rate of postsurgical site infection. There is strong evidence to suggest that postoperative antibiotics do not reduce rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) regardless of duration. However, there are conflicting data in the literature regarding the role of prophylactic preoperative antibiotics in reducing rates of SSIs.