Prevalence and Management of Post-Extraction Complications

Introduction: Simple tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures performed by general dentists and Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons throughout daily practice. However, although it is a simple procedure, tooth-related complications could occur at any time. These complications are categorized into immediate and delayed complications. Immediate complications are due to either tooth-related or dentist-related factors and require prompt actions and immediate management. Tooth-related factors depend on tooth morphology and tooth structure conditions. Dentist-related factors depend on the proper selection and application of the instruments. On the other hand, delayed complications might occur after two days or more following the extraction. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, prediction of risk factors complications, prevention and management of possible immediate and delayed post-extraction complications occurring in our Oral Surgery clinics at King Abdulaziz University Dental Hospital. Method: An observation and assessment of the extraction procedure, data collected via validated survey were used to gather the following: Demographic data, medical history, cause of extraction, number of tooth/teeth extracted, complications if any, and who did the procedure. For each patient who underwent dental extraction, a survey was filled out, by a doctor other than the operator and the procedure was assessed under observation to record any complications that occurred during the procedure and assess the undertaken management in such a case without intervention. Data was analyzed using Chi-square test through SPSS. Result: We observed 172 extraction procedures with 160 different patients, 12 had extraction more than once. A total 350 teeth were extracted from 160 patients, we observed 92 complications (53.4%) between immediate and delayed, 7 patients had both, the most common immediate complication was soft tissue injury with (81.7%) 67/82, and for the delayed complications the most common was dry socket (64.7%) 11/17 patients. Conclusion: In conclusion, we found a significant association between the number of post-operative complications, their management, and the experience of the operator