EFFICACY OF HYALURONIC ACID ON PREVENTION OF ALVEOLAR OSTEITIS: A PRELIMINARY RESULT

P. Scarano¹, S.R. Tari², M. Di Carmine², F.S. Al-Hamed³, S. Bendicenti⁴, A. Maltagnati⁴ and A. Scarano^1-5

¹University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy;
²Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy;
³College of Dental Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar;
⁴Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy;
⁵Department of Oral Implantology, Dental Research Division, College Ingà, UNINGÁ, Espirito Santo, Brazil

*Correspondence to:
Antonio Scarano, D.D.S., M.D.
Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry,
University of Chieti-Pescara,
Via Dei Vestini 31,
66100 Chieti Italy
e-mail. ascarano@unich.it

Received:  21 July 2023 Accepted: 03 September 2023

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ABSTRACT

                 Alveolar osteitis (AO) (dry socket) is a permanent tooth extraction complication characterized by intense pain and halitosis. This present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of hyaluronic acid in preventing alveolar osteitis after tooth extraction in patients with a clinical history of AO. Adults of 18 years or older (patients with a clinical history of AO and/or traumatic extraction) were included. After tooth extraction, the socket was filled with hyaluronic acid in the test group while left empty in the control group. During healing, the patient’s pain perception was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), and patients were screened for alveolar osteitis. All sites were evaluated clinically at baseline, after 3, 7, and 15 days. No alveolar osteitis (AO) was recorded in the test group, while only one case of AO was recorded in the control group. Within the limitation of our study, the application of hyaluronic acid after tooth extraction seems to be effective in reducing pain among patients with a clinical history of AO.

KEYWORDS: alveolar osteitis, dry socket, hyaluronic acid, wound healing, socket healing, bone biomaterials