Frequency of Alveolar Osteitis (Dry Socket) in Smokers after Mandibular Molar Extraction

Alveolar osteitis (AO) is the infection of the alveolar bone of the maxilla or mandible. Alveolar osteitis is a frequent and delayed complication, causing extreme pain with disruption in social life, sleep and work. Objectives: To determine the smoking status and prevalence of dry socket in patients undergoing mandibular molar extraction. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was undertaken in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at LUMHS, Jamshoro, Pakistan. Data acquisition was completed over a duration of six months using a non-probability convenience sampling strategy. Statistical evaluation was conducted through SPSS software version 26.0. The Chi-square test was utilized to determine associations between variables, with a p-value of less than 0.05 regarded as statistically significant. Results: Patients were 32.91 ± 8.61 years old on average. There were 59.6% male and 40.94% female. The frequency of dry socket in patients presenting for mandibular molar extraction at 7 days was 10.4% (31/298). The rate of dry socket was significantly high in smokers (61.1%) and ex-smokers (80%) cases compared to non-smokers (0.4%) patients. Conclusions: In individuals having their mandibular molars extracted, there was a significant correlation between smoking status and the occurrence of dry socket (p=0.001). These results highlight how important quitting smoking is for lowering the chance of this excruciating side effect and enhancing recovery after surgery.