Aims and objectives:Intraoperative antibiotics may be effective in elective surgery; there may be an advantage to starting antibiotics preoperatively when there is already an infective focus, such as compound facial fractures. The purpose of this study is to compare preoperative and intraoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in compound facial fractures. Materials and methods:This is a prospective study conducted over a period of 2 years on 50 patients, who underwent open reduction and rigid internal fixation. The patients were assigned to two groups. The patients in group I received antibiotics at the time of admission. The patients in group II received antibiotics perioperatively at the time of induction of general anesthesia. Postoperatively, the patients were evaluated for the reduction of pain and the presence of infection by assessing the local presence of erythema, swelling, a rise in temperature, and purulent discharge, if any, on a predefined proforma.Results: A total of 72 fractures were assessed in 50 patients. There was an overall reduction of pain in both the groups. Wound healing status was found to be satisfactory in both the groups. Conclusion:Wound status and infection rate were evaluated in patients of both the groups. In the study, there was no difference between the two groups on the predecided parameters whether the antibiotics were given either preoperatively or perioperatively.Clinical significance: It is very essential to have a sound knowledge of the use of antibiotic therapy effectively to prevent the overuse of it and, thereby, help avoid developing resistance to antibiotics in patients.