Effect of Hyaluronic Acid in Modifying Tensile Strength of Nonabsorbable Suture Materials: An In Vitro Study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In periodontics and other surgical disciplines, sutures play a detrimental role in healing of wound. The use of chemical adjuncts to boost healing has been experimented in recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of hyaluronic acid rinse in influencing the tensile strengths of commonly used sutures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two commonly used nonabsorbable suture materials, silk and polyamide, were used for this in vitro study. Tensile strengths of the suture materials were determined by pre- and post-immersion in hyaluronic acid (test) and chlorhexidine (control). A Tinius Olsen Universal Testing Machine was used to assess the tensile strength of the samples. The variables were assessed for normality using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. The Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann–Whitney U test (for quantitative data within two groups) were used for quantitative data comparison of all the clinical indicators. The level of significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Polyamide showed better stability in terms of tensile strength when compared to silk. Hyaluronic acid as a chemical adjunct did not alter the tensile strengths of both suture materials pre- and post-immersion. CONCLUSION: This in vitro study has shown a promising property of hyaluronic acid with relation to stabilization of tensile strength of suture materials, which needs to be evaluated in clinical settings.