Does oral contraceptive use affect the incidence of complications after extraction of a mandibular third molar?

Abstract

Objective This study investigated whether oral contraceptive use affects the incidence of complications (pain, trismus, dry socket) in women undergoing removal of impacted mandibular third molars. Patients and method Two hundred and sixty seven women, aged 17 -45 years, underwent removal of an impacted mandibular third molar. Eighty seven of the women were regular users of oral contraceptives. All patients were evaluated for postoperative pain, trismus and dry socket (localized alveolar osteitis). Results Mean trismus values (measured as maximum interincisal distance) were similar in the two groups of patients. Postoperative pain was significantly more frequent among women taking contraceptives, both on day 1 (30% of women taking contraceptives used analgesics, versus 11% of women not taking contraceptives, p < 0.001) and on day 5 (14% versus 5%, p = 0.024). Similarly, dry socket occurred more frequently among women taking contraceptives than among women not taking contraceptives (11% versus 4%, p = 0.017). Conclusions The results of this study support the view that oral contraceptive use favours the appearance of dry socket and postoperative pain after extraction, but has no effect on trismus.The removal of a mandibular third molar typically provokes pain, inflammation and trismus, as well as other complications of varying frequency. [1][2][3][4] Numerous studies have indicated that the incidence of complications after molar extraction is higher among women taking oral contraceptives, 5-12 although some authors have not detected any association. [13][14] The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of oral contraceptive use on pain, trismus and dry socket (localized alveolar osteitis) after removal of a mandibular third molar.

Effects of oral contraceptives on the prevalence of alveolar osteitis after mandibular third molar surgery: a retrospective study

“…These include the patient's sex, 7 the use of oral contraceptives, 8 smoking, 9 patient age, 10 difficulty of the extraction, 11 surgeon's experience, 12 preoperative infection, 13 and the menstrual cycle. 14 and 15 Signs and symptoms of AO often develop within 1-3 days following surgery.…”

Grading of Extraction and Its Relationship with Post-operative Pain and Trismus, along with Proposed Grading for Trismus

“…Patient's brief history and examination details were recorded in a specially designed perform for this purpose. Patients with thyroid disorders, pregnant ladies, women on oral contraceptives [9] uncontrolled diabetics, uncontrolled hypertensive, cardiac patients and patients with chronic renal disease were not included in the study because alteration in post op drug regimen can cause bias. Patients included in the study were advised not to smoke (if they were smokers) at least for three days before surgery to one week after surgery as López-Carriches C et al, [10] found that smoking increases chances of trismus.…”

The prevention of 'dry socket' with topical metronidazole in general dental practice

“…Previous studies 9,26 have also shown that younger people have a higher incidence of dry socket following extraction. Factors such as oral contraceptive use have been shown recently to favour the appearance of dry socket, 27 and this may be explained by their fibrinolytic activity. However, other studies have found no increased incidence of dry socket with oral contraceptive use.…”