Evaluating tensile strengths of absorbable suture materials in herbal solutions: An In vitro study

Abstract

Aims: Suture materials are used routinely in periodontal and oral surgical procedures. Strength of the sutures depends on many factors such as tensile strength, compressive strength, and knot configuration. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare herbal rinses and chlorhexidine mouthwashes on the tensile strengths of the commonly used absorbable suture materials. Materials and Methods: Three commonly used absorbable suture materials polyglactin 910 (PLG 910), poliglecaprone (PGCL), and catgut were selected. A total of 15 samples for each suture material for a combined total of 45 were used. The sutures were tested for pre- and post-immersion tensile strength after being placed in three different solutions. Tensile strength was determined by a testing machine with a load set at 50 N. Results: Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used for quantitative data evaluation and Kruskal–Wallis test for intragroup comparison. From the experiment, it is evident that PLG 910 is superior in comparison to other suture materials, with a mean of 600.8 N/mm2 compared to PGCL (422.6 N/mm2) and chromic catgut (229.2 N/mm2). Among the herbal rinses, frankincense showed a statistical significant value in terms of stabilizing tensile strengths of the suture materials. Conclusions: Although PLG 910 was better against the three suture materials, more studies need to be done using varied variables and other media to see the effect in tensile strengths.