DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2016.v03i10.004

Pages: 287-289

Abstract: The common complications postoperatively following the surgical extraction of tooth especially third molar is dry socket. It manifests as severe pain starting usually on the second or third day postoperatively. The present study was done to study the incidence rate of the dry socket and some of its risk factors. The study was done retrospectively at the oral surgery department college of dental science and hospital, Amargadh, District- Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Records of the last 2 years were considered for the study. Only patients undergone with the surgical extraction of the third molar were taken for the study. The case history of all patients undergone with the third molar extractions was obtained from the departmental records. Dry socket was diagnosed based on the absence of clot in the socket and presence of severe pain from the socket. Total 293 third molar surgical extractions were carried out in the department over a period of 2 years. The patients were of the age group of 18 to 45 years. Out of these, records of 256 patients were available and considered for the study. In these 256 patients, 278 third molar extractions were done surgically. In these 178 extractions of third molar, 12 (4.09%) patients were presented with the features of dry socket. The incidence of dry socket was more in case of smokers (08 patients) as compared to non- smokers (04 patients). High incidence of the dry socket is seen in case of surgical extraction of the mandibular third molar than that of the maxillary third molar. Male sand females were seen showing almost equal rate of the dry socket incidence. The high incidence of dry socket was observed in patients of smokers after mandibular third molar surgical removal.