Introduction and objective:
A reduction in incidences of peri-surgical complications due to infections is achieved by antibiotic prophylaxis The objective of the study was to assess the usefulness of gentamycin-containing collagen implants (GCCI) in the treatment of patients with osteitis and osteomyelitis of the craniofacial skeleton.

Material and Methods:
The retrospective study included 103 patients with osteitis and osteomyelitis. 54 patients were treated intra-operatively with GCCI (Garamycin, EusaPharma, Europe). 49 patients were treated according to standard procedures. Light microscopy and in vitro culture techniques were applied for bacteria specific identification, and to investigate the resistance of detected microbiota to antibiotics. Patients received one dose of antibiotic pre-operatively. Post-operative antibiotic treatment was administered individually, according to clinical course and microbiological tests. The patients were followed-up on days 3, 7 and 14 after discharge for local complications; radiographic follow-up was performed 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery.

Results:
The course of post-operative antibiotic therapy was shorter in GCCI patients than in the control group (median 1 vs. 7 days); they also required shorter hospitalization (median 3 vs. 4 days). Implantation of GCCI significantly reduced the incidence of local complications (OR 0.30, 95%CI 0.11–0.83, p<0.0001), independently of the use of postoperative antibiotic therapy. On follow-up after 3–12 months, all patients presented with good soft tissue and bone healing.

Conclusions:
The results of this comparative study advocate the use of GCCI in osteomyelitis of various origin in oral and maxillofacial surgery, as they seemed to reduce the incidence of local complications, shorten antibiotic administration time and hospital stay.