Surgical Curettage as a Treatment Modality for Alveolar Osteitis: A Wide Controversy

Abstract

Dry socket is the most common post-odontectomy complication. Although blood clot disintegration is known to be the cause of the condition, agreement is lacking regarding the relative merits of various treatment methods including surgical curettage. The aim of the current study therefore was to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical curettage in a large population. A total of 506 patients were categorized into 4 groups (I, II, III, and IV) according to pain severity (mild, moderate, severe, or agonizing, respectively). All patients underwent brief saline irrigation of the socket with 2ml normal saline followed by curettage, irrigation with 6mL normal saline and suturing. The results showed that curettage was a potent curative method for all groups. As a conclusion, curettage is a recommended treatment method.