Assessment of Dry Socket after Mandibular Third Molar Surgery Using Platelet-Rich Fibrin-A Prospective Clinical Study

Objective: To determine the efficacy of Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) in preventing Dry Socket (DS) after mandibular third molar surgery in comparison with the control group.Study Design: Experimental study.Place and Duration of the Study: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Dental Section, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, Pakistan, from July 2019 to June 2021.Methodology: Patients aged 18-35 years with good oral hygiene, and requiring surgical extraction of their mandibular third molar were included in the study. Those with periodontal disease, pregnant or nursing women, smokers, or allergic to the agents that were recommended for use before and after surgery, were excluded. Patients presenting for surgical removal of the mandibular third molar and meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups. Standard protocol for tooth removal was followed in both groups. Group1 (study group) received PRF and group 2 (control group) did not receive PRF.Results: A total of 170 consecutive patients (85/group) were randomly selected and allocated to the study group and control group. The mean age in the study group was 24.28 +/- 3.7 years while the mean age in the control group was 24.14 +/- 3.64 years. Out of them, 51.2% (n=87) were males and 48.8% (n=83) were females with a M: F of 1:1.05. On the 3rd postoperative day, DS frequency in the study group was 2.4% (n=2) and 18.8% (n=16) in the control group (p=0.0001), which reduced to 01 and 05 respectively on 7th day (p=0.096).Conclusion: PRF administration was effective in preventing DS on the third postoperative day in mandibular third molar -surgery, with statistically significant results. However, on postoperative day 7, the results were not statistically significant.