Comparison of Alveolar Osteitis (AO) occurrence after impacted mandibular third molar removal with and without post-extraction socket irrigation

Objective: We wanted to see whether impacted third mandibular molar extractions resulted in Alveolar Osteitis if post-extraction socket irrigation was used or not. Methodology: A randomized control experiment on 70 patients study was conducted from July 2019 to January 2020 at Islamabad Dental Hospital's OMFS department. Patients presenting with the mandibular third molars fulfilling the inclusion criteria had their teeth extracted with and without socket irrigation using the computer lottery method. In cases of dry socket, clinical diagnosis was made between the 3rd, 5th, and 7th postoperative days. Results: 70 patients/sockets were evaluated with 35 having been irrigated and 35 non-irrigated. The age range was 16-50years with a mean of 29.49 and most patients were between the 16-35 age group. There were 48.6% males and 51.4% females. Dry Socket was evaluated on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th day between groups (A=irrigation, B=Non-irrigation). On the 3rd postop day, 14 (40%) patients in group A and 15(42.9%) patients were diagnosed as dry Sockets. A similar number of patients in both groups (20%) exhibited symptoms of dry socket on the fifth and seventh postoperative days, as did 5 (14.3 %) in group A, 3 (8.6 %) in group B, and 1(2.9 %t) in group A, all on the fifth postoperative day. Conclusion: On the third, fifth, and seventh postoperative days, there was no significant difference in the result of Alveolar Osteitis between the groups.