alveolitis (dental) n.
Inflammation of the alveolus also known as dry socket, alveolar osteitis, or alveolalgia, caused by premature loss or the destruction of the blood clot formed in the socket following a tooth extraction. The acute condition is characterized clinically by pain 1–3 days post-operatively with surrounding mucosal inflammation. There may be exposed bone or food debris in the socket. Predisposing factors are a traumatic extraction, pre-existing periapical infection, reduced blood supply (notably in the mandible rather than the maxilla), smoking, premature mouth rinsing, and premature clot removal by the patient. It is more common in the permanent than the primary dentition. Management is by irrigation with warm saline to remove food debris and covering the exposed bone with either a resorbable or non-resorbable antiseptic dressing. Analgesics are normally required, e.g. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Prescription of an antibiotic is only advisable if there is associated evidence of systemic infection. Healing normally takes place in 10–14 days. There is evidence to suggest that the incidence of alveolar osteitis can be reduced by rinsing pre-operatively with a ... ...
Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription.
Please subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.
For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can''t find the answer there, please contact us.
