Awareness on Dry Socket and its Management Among Undergraduate Dental Students - A Questionnaire Survey

Dry socket lesion is a post-extraction socket exhibiting exposed bone which is not covered by a blood clot or healing epithelium. This is one of the most common post extraction complication encountered in routine dental practise. This survey was done to check the knowledge and practise in management of dry sockets among undergraduate dental students. An online questionnaire was shared among 95 participants consisting of final year dental students and dental interns. There were 10 sets of close ended questions shared on survey planet . Based on the answers from the survey, the data was compiled and analyzed. Chi square test of statistical analysis was used with the aid of SPSS software version 20.0. The survey was taken up by 31.58% (n = 30) fourth year students and 68.42% (n = 65) intern students. More than 60% students gave correct responses to questions related to etiology, clinical presentation and management of dry socket. There were a smaller number of students who gave correct answers to the pathogenesis of the condition (51%). Both final year and intern students displayed an overall good knowledge about dry socket and its management. However, intern students showed better understanding than fourth year students which was statistically significant with p < 0.05 to three out of ten questions. It can be concluded that dental students eventually gain better insight in the subject with increasing clinical years.