Does cyanoacrylate have the best postoperative outcomes after third molar extractions when compared to conventional sutures? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Tissue synthesis is extremely important for the attenuation of postoperative discomforts, as it keeps the tissues coapted, accelerates the healing process, and reduces the bleeding period of the surgical wound. Thus, this study aimed to systematically review the results of clinical trials that compared the use of cyanoacrylate with conventional sutures after third molars extraction.

Materials And Methods: Searches were conducted on MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Virtual Health Library (VHL), and Web of Science. Articles published up to February 20, 2022, were included. No restrictions were imposed on data or language of publication.

Results: A total of 8 studies (5 randomized controlled trials and 3 non-randomized comparative clinical studies) were included in this review and five studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 440 patients. The use of cyanoacrylate promoted better results in pain reduction in the first postoperative day when compared to the use of conventional suture (SMD: -1.01; 95%CI -1.90 to -0.12). Cyanoacrylate group promoted significant but borderline edema reduction compared to conventional sutures in the 7th postoperative day (SMD: -0.24, 95%CI -0.46 to -0.01, I2 = 0 %). For the trismus outcome, in all periods evaluated no differences were found between the groups.

Conclusion: Although promising results, there is no high-quality evidence to suggest the use of cyanoacrylate was better than conventional sutures.