Aims The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence, clinical picture, and risk factors of dry socket at the Dental Teaching Center of Jordan University of Science and Technology (DTC/JUST). Methods and Materials Two specially designed questionnaires were completed over a four-month period. One questionnaire was completed for every patient who had one or more permanent teeth extracted in the Oral Surgery Clinic. The other questionnaire was completed for every patient who returned for a post-operative visit and was diagnosed with dry socket during the study period. Results There were 838 dental extractions carried out in 469 patients. The overall prevalence of dry socket was 4.8%. There was no statistically significant association between the development of dry socket and age, sex, medical history, medications taken by the patient, indications for the extraction, extraction site, operator experience, or the amount of local anesthesia and administration technique used. The prevalence of dry socket following non-surgical extractions was 3.2%, while the prevalence following surgical extractions was 20.1% (P< 0.002). The prevalence of dry socket following surgical and non-surgical extractions was significantly higher in smokers (9.1%) than in non-smokers (3%) (P = 0.001), and a direct linear trend was observed between the amount of smoking and the prevalence of dry socket (P = 0.034). The prevalence of dry socket was significantly higher in the single extraction cases (7.3%) than in the multiple extraction cases (3.4%) (P = 0.018). The clinical picture and management of dry socket at DTC/JUST were similar to previous reports in the literature. The prevalence of dry socket, its clinical picture, and management at DTC/JUST are similar to those reported in the literature. Conclusion Smoking and surgical trauma are associated with an increased incidence of dry socket. Moreover, patients who had single extractions were more likely to develop dry socket than those who had multiple extractions in the same visit. Citation Nusair YM, Younis MHA. Prevalence, Clinical Picture, and Risk Factors of Dry Socket in a Jordanian Dental Teaching Center. J Contemp Dent Pract 2007 March;(8)3:053-063.

Aims: The objectives of this study were to find out the frequency, clinical picture, and risk factors of dry socket at the Dental Teaching Center of Al-Quds University in Palestine.Methods and Materials: Two previously used questionnaires were accomplished in this study over a one year period. The first questionnaire was completed for every patient who had one or more permanent teeth extracted in the Dental Surgery Clinic. The other one was completed for every patient suffered a postoperative pain and was diagnosed with dry socket.Results: There were 1305 dental extractions performed in 805 patients. The overall frequency of dry socket was 3.2%. The incidence of dry socket following non-surgical extractions was 1.7% while it was 15% following surgical extractions (P< 0.005). The incidence of dry socket was significantly higher in smokers (12%) than in non-smokers (4%) (P < 0.005), however, there is a strong association between the amount of smoking and the incidence of dry socket (P < 0.002). The incidence of dry socket was significantly higher in the single extraction cases (13%) than in the multiple extraction cases (5%) (P = 0.005). Age, sex, medical history, extraction site, amount of local anesthesia and experience of operator play no role in the occurrence of dry socket.Conclusion: Smoking, surgical trauma and single extractions are considered predisposing factors in the occurrence of dry socket. On the other hand, factors like: age, sex, medical history, extraction site, amount of anesthesia, and operator experience have no effect on the observation of dry socket.