Alveolar osteitis (AO) is a common complication following the extraction of the teeth, particularly the lower third molars. It starts within a few days after the extraction and manifests mainly as pain in the extraction site. Several strategies of treatment are available in order to relieve pain and heal the extraction wound. Recently, a novel medical device combining hyaluronic acid (HA) and octenidine (OCT) was introduced for the treatment of AO. This series of case reports aims to summarize the initial clinical experiences with this new device and to highlight factors possibly interfering with this treatment. The medical documentation of five patients with similar initial situations treated for AO with HA + OCT device was analyzed in detail. Smoking and previous treatment with Alveogyl (Septodont, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, France) were identified as factors interfering with the AO treatment with the HA + OCT device. In three patients without these risk factors, the treatment led to recovery within two or three days. The patient pretreated with Alveogyl and the smoker required six and seven applications of the HA + OCT device, respectively. According to these initial observations, it seems smoking and previous treatment with Alveogyl prolong the treatment of AO using the HA + OCT device that, in turn, shows a rapid effect if these risk factors are not present.
Keywords: Alveolar osteitis; hyaluronic acid; octenidine; risk factors; smoking; treatment effectivity; wound healing.