The Effects of Using Hyaluronic Acid on the Extraction Sockets

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using Hyaluronic Acid (HA) clinically in extraction sockets related to the incidence of dry socket and the severity of post extraction pain. Methods: This randomized clinical trial included 98 extraction sockets. Combination of HA with Gelfoam scaffolds were applied to (28) sockets. Gelfoam scaffolds without HA were placed in another (21) sockets. No intervention was done for the remaining (49) sockets. The occurrence of dry socket and patients' pain levels (VAS) were assessed at the first, second and seventh postoperative days. Results: Pain score was highest on the operation day according to VAS scores and decreased gradually in all groups on the 2nd and 7th postoperative days. There were no statistically significant differences in VAS scores between the three groups on the three postoperative days. A total of 5 patients had dry socket (5.1%). Also, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of dry socket formation (P = 0.891) between the extraction sites of the three groups during the three postoperative days. Conclusions: The results showed that HA administration did not decrease either the incidence of dry socket formation nor postoperative pain.