Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

The precise cause of dry socket remains the subject of study. Researchers suspect that several issues may be at play, including:

  • Bacterial contamination of the socket
  • Severe bone and tissue trauma at the surgical site due to a difficult extraction
  • Very small fragments of roots or bone remaining in the wound after surgery
Risk factors Symptoms
References
  1. Neville BW, et al. Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:120.
  2. Summers A. Emergency management of alveolar osteitis. Emergency Nurse. 2011;19:28.
  3. Roberts JR, et al. Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/202633129-4/0/2083/0.html#. Accessed May 27, 2013.
  4. Krakowiak, PA. Alveolar osteitis and osteomyelitis of the jaws. The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America. 2011;23:401.
  5. Cardoso CL, et al. Clinical concepts of dry socket. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 2010;68:1922.
  6. Dodson T. Prevention and treatment of dry socket. Evidence-Based Dentistry. 2013;14:13.
  7. Preparing for third molar removal. NIH Clinical Center. National Institutes of Health. http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/tests_procedures.html. Accessed May 27, 2013.
  8. Daly B, et al. Local interventions for the management of alveolar osteitis (dry socket). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006968.pub2/abstract. Accessed May 27, 2013.
  9. Fenton DA, et al. Perioperative strategies for third molar surgery. Atlas of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America. 2012;20:25.
  10. Sheridan PJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 26, 2013.
DS00778 July 16, 2013

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Reprints
  • Print

  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger