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Updated: May 7, 2026

In Vivo Assessment of Alveolar Macrophage Efferocytosis Following Ozone Exposure
Published on: October 22, 2019
Study confirms certain risk factors for development of alveolar osteitis
Marie A Congiusta1, Analia Veitz-Keenan
1NYU College of Dentistry, New York, USA.
Design:
Prospective nested case-control study. CASE/CONTROL SELECTION: From a cohort of 1423 Patents age 18 and older undergoing dental extractions at a public dental clinic in Chile examined at four days post-extraction. Eighty cases of alveolar osteitis were identified. Eighty matched controls were selected from the cohort at random.
Data Analysis:
Eight predictor variables (risk factors), namely patient gender, hygiene, tooth location, previous surgical site infection, traumatic extraction, systemic diseases, alcohol consumption and tobacco use were considered. A binary regression logistic analysis was performed to determine significant associations.
Results:
The overall incidence of alveolar osteitis was 6.14%. Logistic regression analysis after adjustment showed a statistically significant association between three variables and the development of alveolar osteitis; previous surgical site infection (odds ratio [OR], 3.3; 95% CI, 1.4 to 7.7), traumatic extraction (OR, 13.1; 95% CI, 5.4 to 31.7) and smoking of tobacco after extraction (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.3 to 9.0).
Conclusions:
Previous surgical site infection, traumatic extraction and tobacco smoking are associated with an increased risk of alveolar osteitis.
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