Assessment of Healing Using Alvogyl and Platelet Rich Fibrin in Patients with Dry Socket - An Evaluative Study

INTRODUCTION: Dry socket is one of the most common postoperative complications following the extraction of permanent teeth, which is characterized by pain and exposed bone. The usual protocol followed for its management is irrigation of the socket and packing of the socket with medicated gel or paste to provide relatively faster pain relief and allow normal wound healing. In this study, we evaluated the outcome of management of dry socket with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and intraalveolar alvogyl dressing, in terms of improvement in pain and socket epithelialization after the treatment. METHODOLOGY: Thirty participants with established dry socket were randomly divided into two groups: Group A and Group B. The participants in Group A were treated with alvogyl and those in Group B were treated with PRF. Clinical parameters were assessed for both groups on the 1(st) day of the procedure and on the 3(rd) and 10(th)-day postoperatively for the reduction in pain and wound healing. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in pain and the number of socket wall exposure in both the groups by the 3(rd) postoperative day. In both the groups, the pain had completely resolved and socket fully epithelialized by the 10(th) postoperative day. DISCUSSION: The use of PRF in the present study yielded promising results in terms of both pain reduction and improved wound healing which was comparable to the conventional alvogyl dressing. It may be concluded that PRF is an effective modality for the management of dry socket.