A quality improvement project to assess the use of preventative measures against acute alveolar osteitis

AIMS: A quality improvement project was conducted in a General Dental Practice environment. The aim was to reduce the rate of Acute Alveolar Osteitis, which was locally found to be at 19.4%. METHODS: A range of quality improvement tools were utilised to determine and measure potential interventions, and the results from the initial Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle utilising perioperative 0.2% Chlorhexidine as a preventative method are presented. RESULTS: The use of perioperative 0.2% Chlorhexidine mouthwash showed an absolute risk reduction of 6.2%. DISCUSSION: Generalisation from the results is highly dependent on local factors, although the favourable reduction in acute alveolar osteitis and cost savings found supported the project. CONCLUSIONS: This project highlights the strengths of Quality Improvement methodologies in implementing and assessing changes to improve service provision and patient outcomes.