Post extraction complications - An institution based retrospective study

Tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures undertaken in the dental clinic. As with any surgical procedure, even a simple tooth extraction can result in complications. Post extraction complications can be annoying to the patient, thereby causing mild morbidity and have an impact on their quality of life. Complications are wide starting from common ones like alveolitis and root fracture, dry socket, infraction, halitosis, pain, trismus and uncommon ones like displacement of root fragments within the sinus and oral antral fistula. The aim of this study was to evaluate post-extraction complications among patients visiting saveetha dental college. This is a retrospective study. We reviewed patient records and analysed the data of 86000 patients between June 2019 and March 2020. From a pooled sample size of 23000 extractions done during this period, data of patients reporting for post-extraction complications were segregated and analysed. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS Version 20 by IBM. The results were analysed using the chi-square test. In this study, we observed that among a sample of 23000 simple extractions, only 42 patients had reported back with post-extraction complications (0.18%). These complications were more in males than in females. When compared between maxillary and mandibular arch, the mandible had more incidence with 54.16%. The most common complication was dry socket (58.34%). Pain as a complication was more in males than in females. Within the limits of the study, the incidence of post-extraction complication is more in males than females. Higher incidence of complication was seen in a mandibular arch (54.16%) than in maxillary arch (45.84%).