Antibiotics after tooth extraction: helpful or unnecessary?
NCT ID NCT07694531
First seen Jul 10, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026
Summary
This trial looks at whether antibiotics are needed after removing a tooth with a periapical abscess (an infection at the root tip). Half of the 176 adult participants receive amoxicillin for 5 days after extraction, while the other half get only pain relievers. A dentist checks the healing of the extraction site on day 5, comparing gum color, bleeding, and signs of infection between the two groups. The goal is to see if skipping antibiotics leads to similar healing, which could help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Amoxicillin 500 mg
- What this could lead to
- If antibiotics prove unnecessary, it could reduce overuse and side effects while maintaining good healing after tooth extraction for abscesses.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, single-center trial. Results may not apply to larger abscesses or patients with other health conditions. Antibiotic resistance or allergic reactions remain risks.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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176 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients aged above 18 years * Patients who are willing to participate in the study * Patients requiring extraction of non-restorable carious teeth with radiographic evidence of periapical abscess (\< 1.5cm diameter ill-defined, diffused periapical radiolucent lesion ) * Patients who come under ASA class 1 and 2 classification Exclusion Criteria: * Patients requiring trans-alveolar extraction * Patients with known Penicillin allergy * Pregnant women * Patients undergoing antibiotic therapy perioperatively * Patients not complying with follow-up
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department in Subbaiah Institute of Dental Sciences
Shimoga, Karnataka, 577201, India
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