Effect of minor oral surgery on the reticuloendothelial system

In a study of the systemic effects following oral surgery, the left maxillary molars or maxillary and mandibular molars were extracted from young adult male CBA mice. The host response was assayed from peritoneal macrophage counts following prior intraperitoneal proteose peptone injection. These counts showed a reduction in macrophage accumulation to reach a peak by the 8th post-operative day with a subsequent recovery in functional reticuloendothelial activity by the 14th day. These data therefore suggested that minor oral surgical procedures, in common with major surgery, trauma, burn injury, hemorrhagic shock and widespread malignant disease, are followed by depression of reticulo-endothelial function, a feature that has implications for wound repair and resistance to both infection and malignant neoplasms.