The ability to suture is one of the essential skills required of anyone planning to perform surgery.
Although it can appear to be a simple procedure, suturing properly requires a sound understanding of the biology of wound healing, good hand–eye coordination, good judgment, and some finesse.
DENTAL LIBRARY: Scientific Publications of ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY in PDF FREE to download and share
Learning to suture in an expert manner requires an understanding of the proper techniques and dedicated practice.
This section on suturing in this special student supplement is designed to guide dental students as they learn and master the suturing techniques most commonly used to close oral mucosa. Most of the techniques covered are also used in surgery performed elsewhere in the body.
The suture section presumes that the student already possesses an understanding of the basic anatomy and physiology of oral tissues and basic knowledge in soft tissue wound healing.
This special supplement is not intended to serve as a self-instructional manual. Rather, it is meant to complement the teaching of dental school faculty.
Just as with any skill requiring manual actions, learning the various suturing techniques is most effective and efficient when done under the careful supervision of educators who can provide needed demonstrations and coaching.
