A retrospective study on the use of a dental dressing to reduce dry socket incidence in smokers

This study assessed the effectiveness of using an oxidized cellulose dental dressing in order to reduce the rate of alveolar osteitis after posterior tooth extraction in smokers. Dry socket incidences of heavy smokers from 4 independent dental clinics, which routinely used oxidized cellulose dental dressings to mitigate dry socket formation between March 2011 and December 2012, were compiled and evaluated. All extraction sites healed uneventfully except for those cases that developed dry sockets. Overall, 1.7% of male patients and 2.2% of female patients developed dry sockets. No conclusive relationship was found between the number of cigarettes smoked and dry socket formation among patients in this study. The results of this study were consistent with the view that gender, age, postextraction regimen, and multiple extractions affect dry socket formation. The results indicate that an oxidized cellulose dental dressing postextraction is a safe and effective method for mitigating dry socket formation among smokers.