The use of monofilament nonabsorbable
suture materials is not common in Dentistry. Although it is known that multifilament
suture materials induce greater cellular reaction, most Dentists prefer to use cotton and
silk. Rigidity and package memory are disadvantages of monofilament nonabsorbable
suture materials. A new material,
Polybutester (
Novafil), has been used successfully in Medicine but its use is not common in Dentistry. Seventy male and female Wistar rats were used to study the clinical response of skin and abdominal wall muscle to the use of
Novafil and
nylon sutures. Under
general anesthesia, standard
wounds were created in the dorsum and abdomen of the animals and sutured with either
Novafil or
nylon. The animals were sacrificed immediately, 12, 24, and 72 hours and at 4, 5 and 7 days to evaluate the clinical aspect of both
wounds.
Polybutester presented some advantages such as strength, lack of package memory, elasticity and flexibility which made suturing quicker and easier. Some subjects presented abdominal
wound edema during the period and six animals developed
infection of abdominal
wounds within seven days. These initial findings show that
Novafil is easy to handle and would be better tolerated in the mouth than
nylon resulting in less discomfort for the patient.
Novafil can be used safely on skin and mucosal
wounds and, if necessary, it can be used in internal
sutures because it irritates less than
nylon.