Treatment of Alveolar Osteitis: Traditional or Regenerative?
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2024-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Alveolar osteitis, commonly referred to as dry socket, is a common painful postoperative
complication following tooth extraction. It is defined as pain in and around an extraction
socket which increases at any time between one and three days following extraction,
accompanied by partial or total loss of the blood clot from the socket, with or without
halitosis (Blum, 2002).
The incidence of the complication varies from 1-5% for routine extractions up to
approximately 30% for third molar extractions. There are a variety of factors that contribute
to the incidence of dry socket including tissue trauma, smoking in the early postoperative
period and the oral contraceptive pill. Although it is a self- limiting condition, symptoms
can be very debilitating for patients and therefore following diagnosis, immediate treatment
should be provided to expedite resolution and to their improve quality of life during the
healing period. Treatment options for dry socket vary from rinsing of the socket, regular
analgesia and sometimes placement of an obtundent, sedative dressing such as Alveogyl or a
zinc oxide eugenol alternative.
This study will aim to compare two treatments for patients who present with alveolar osteitis
(dry socket) to Dublin Dental University Hospital after tooth extraction. Following
randomisation, one of two treatment modalities will be used, either a experimental treatment
(Bio-PRF) or a positive control (Alveogyl).
The results of this study will enable us to learn more about the efficacy of these treatment
options for dry socket and how they affect patients.