ASEPSIS AND ANTISEPSIS PROTOCOLS IN MODERN MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY TO MINIMIZE INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS

The study consolidates recent evidence on perioperative infection control in maxillofacial surgery, integrating cutaneous preparation, intraoral bioburden reduction, stewardship-concordant antibiotic policies, and validated reprocessing. Comparative and network syntheses position alcohol-based chlorhexidine as the default skin antiseptic, substituting alcoholic povidone-iodine in eye-adjacent fields. Post-incision control relies on preprocedural chlorhexidine rinses and postoperative gel formulations that support early mucosal healing, while randomized trials in fracture osteosynthesis discourage prolonged postoperative antibiotics. Hospital epidemiology guidance and dental standards frame environmental reliability through sterilization audits, packaging integrity, and waterline quality assurance. The article delivers a practice-oriented synthesis for outpatient and inpatient maxillofacial settings, translating heterogeneous trials and guidelines into zone-specific cutaneous choices, intraoral strategies matched to procedure class, and narrow antibiotic windows tied to host risk and operative complexity. The resulting bundle lowers antimicrobial exposure without sacrificing outcomes and offers an implementation scaffold for consistent surgical performance.