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

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of oral contraceptives on the incidence rate of alveolar osteitis (AO) following the surgical extraction of both impacted mandibular third molars. This retrospective study reviewed the clinical records of patients who presented to the oral surgery clinic of a university school of dentistry for the extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. Using a database search, all patients were categorized by sex, age, occurrence of AO, and whether the females were taking oral contraceptives at the time of surgery. The patient was considered positive for AO if either one or both sockets developed AO. The incidence of AO among women taking oral contraceptives at the time of impacted mandibular third molar extraction differed significantly from that in the other patient groups. AO occurred in 37.9% (11/29) of females taking oral contraceptives, while only 8.9% (16/179) of females who were not taking oral contraceptives at the time of extraction developed AO. The total incidence of AO among females was 13.0% (27/208). The total incidence of AO among the 363 males and females presenting for mandibular third molar extractions was 13.8%. Females who are taking oral contraceptives at the time of impacted mandibular third molar extraction are at a higher risk of developing AO following extraction.