Objective To compare the clinical effects of collagen plug and haemostatic gelatin sponge with colloid silver in preventing complications after extraction of mandibular impacted teeth.

Methods Twenty-two patients with bilateral symmetrical impacted mandibular third molars requiring extraction were selected as the study subjects. A split-mouth study was performed, and each patient′s left and right mandibular third molars were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group. The observation group was filled with collagen plugs in the Socket, while the control group was filled with haemostatic gelatin sponge with colloid silver in the socket. The bleeding 30 min after operation, the degree of pain on the first and third days after operation, and the occurrence of mouth opening limitation and dry socket on the seventh day after operation between the two groups were compared.

Results The postoperative bleeding rate 30 min after operation in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The VAS pain score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group on the first and third days after operation (P<0.05), and VAS pain score on the third day after operation in the two groups was significantly lower than that on the first day after operation (P<0.01). The incidence of postoperative mouth opening limitation on the seventh day after operation in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). No dry socket occurred in the two groups.

Conclusions The effect of collagen plug in preventing complications after extraction of mandibular impacted teeth is better than that of haemostatic gelatin sponge with colloid silver, and the former is worthy of popularization.