Comparison of Surgical Drain Placement With Use of Kinesiologic Tape on Postoperative Pain, Swelling, and Trismus in Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to compare the effects of a surgical tube drain with kinesiologic tape (KT) application on postoperative complications such as trismus, swelling, and pain after impacted third molar surgery. Patients and Methods: This single-center, randomized study included 90 patients divided into 3 groups. After impacted third molar removal, 30 patients were treated with a tube drain (drain group), 30 patients were treated with KTapplication (KT group), and 30 patients were treated with a routine surgical operation and no extra procedure (control group). Results: A total of 29 male and 61 female patients were included. Mouth opening was greatest in the drain group over a period of 7 days. Patients in the control group had more pain than those in the drain and KT groups. No statistically significant difference was found in terms of pain and swelling between the drain and KT groups over the 7-day period of the study. The tube drain was found to improve patients' quality-of-life compared with the KT and control groups. Conclusions: Although the effects of a tube drain and KT in terms of pain and swelling were similar, the tube drain was more effective in reducing postoperative complications. (C) 2020 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons