Abstract
Background: Suturing, the final act of most oral surgery procedures, is used to approximate tissues, to control hemorrhage, and allow for primary healing. The mouth differs from other body sites due to the constant presence of saliva, microorganism, high vascularization, as well as its functions of speech, mastication and swallowing resulting in continuous wicking along the suture material at the surgical site, causing a prolonged inflammatory reaction and infection. The aim of the study is to evaluate the presence of aerobic bacterial colonization on silk suture material.
Materials and methods: Silk suture material obtained from post extraction patients at third, seventh and tenth day were transported to the lab chosen for the study in Heart brain infusion broth medium. The suture materials were incubated in agar media for 24 hrs and were assessed for aerobic bacterial organisms and for their colony counts after third, seventh and tenth day following extraction.
Results: The most common organisms showed in the suture materials are staphyloccusaures, streptococcus mutants, lactobacilus, E.coli and a significant difference in their colony counts were observed in the suture material obtained on third, seventh and tenth day after extraction.
Conclusion: The oral conditions of moisture and susceptibility to infection by saliva, ingested food, microorganisms, etc., make a suture placed in an oral cavity is affected differently than a suture in extra-oral conditions. The continuous wicking along the suture material at the surgical site can cause prolonged inflammatory reaction thereby increasing the chances of surgical site infection (SSI). Moreover, silk suture material has found to cause microbial inflammatory response due to its multi filament interstices. Therefore, use of other suture materials and methods and required to decrease the incidence of surgical site infection.

Key words: Suturing, Microbiology, Suture Materials