Prevalence Rate and Risk Factors of Dry Socket in Saudi Arabia

The most common procedure performed at the dentist's office is a tooth extraction or (Exodontia). One of the most common post-extraction complication conditions is Alveolar Osteitis which is known as Dry Socket. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of dry sockets after tooth extraction among the Saudi Arabian population. In this study, we use an observational Cross-sectional study by using an online questionnaire. The questions are formulated by the authors and were completed over a period between July 2022- July 2023 in Saudi Arabia. The sample is Saudi Arabian adult patients above 18 years old. The main questions of the study include inquiries about the prevalence rate and risk factors affecting dry sockets. About (3.5%) of individuals who participated in this current study reported that they had dry sockets before. Smoking multiple times/day was found to be a risk factor for dry sockets. As regards systemic diseases (2%) of participants who had dry sockets were diabetic and (1.5%) of them were hypertensive. The etiology of dry socket is multifactorial and ultimately it is the host's healing potential that determines the severity and duration of the condition. There is a significant association between the occurrence of dry socket and smoking habits, diabetes, and high blood pressure, (p-value =0.036, 0.001, 0.001), respectively. The risk factors for this temporary and debilitating condition are identified. Surgeons must recognize these risk factors in patients with particular medical conditions and include this information as a part of the informed consent.