Introduction

Alveolar osteitis is a common complication after tooth extraction. Risk of alveolar osteitis is rela¬tively higher following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars, as compared to normal extraction.

Objectives

This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of alveolar osteitis in females taking oral contra¬ceptive drugs.

Material and methods

This retrospective study evaluated the incidence of alveolar osteitis in patients after surgical removal of mandibular 3rd molar. Patient records were evaluated for demographic details, history of procedures, intake of oral contraceptive drugs during extraction, and complications. Data obtained from the retrospective analysis was divided into male, females on contraceptives, and females not on contraceptive drugs. The incidence of alveolar osteitis was evaluated in these three groups.

Results

Data of 660 patients who had undergone 3rd molar surgery was evaluated, out of which 452 were male and 208 were female patients. Total of 42 female patients were on oral contraceptive drugs. 51 patients (7.72%) had alveolar osteitis on post-operative follow-up. Out of these 51 patients, 31 were males and 20 were females. Incidence of alveolar osteitis in females on oral contraceptive drugs was almost double as compared to females without contraceptive drugs and males.

Conclusions

This study supported the hypothesis that oral contraceptive drug increases the risk of alveolar osteitis. However, our study was a retrospective analysis, therefore has certain limitations. A prospective research with grading of surgical difficulty could help to standardize these results.