Resumo

MEYER, Augusto Cesar de Andrade et al. Dry socket prevalence after surgical removal of impacted third molars. RPG, Rev. pós-grad. [online]. 2011, vol.18, n.1, pp. 28-32. ISSN 0104-5695.

One of the complications that can occur after the third molar surgical removal is the dry socket. It is a condition that installs for delay of the wound healing, due to the disintegration of blood clot in the alveolus after tooth extraction. The patient presents halitosis, persistent pain that is not relieved by analgesics and, usually, no infection signals and symptoms like fever, edema and erythema are present. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dry sockets in postoperative patients submitted to surgical removal of impacted third molars. One hundred and thirty one patients undergoing to third molar extraction, with the use of high rotation osteotomy or odontosection according to the surgical protocol of the discipline of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of School of Dentistry of São Paulo State University (UNESP, São José dos Campos, Brazil). Dry socket diagnosis was performed by the clinical observation of the operated area for ten days postoperatively. There were observed 197 postoperative third molar extraction and two cases of dry socket were detected, both in mandibular third molars. The results show a prevalence of 1.015% of the total of surgeries, and 1.290% of dry socket in surgical removal of mandibular third molars. The results allow us to conclude that the prevalence of dry socket after extraction of impacted third molars with the use of high rotation was low, and that does not contribute to the occurrence of postoperative alveolitis.

Palavras-chave : Dry socket; Tooth extraction; Surgery, oral.