Influence of smoking upon the postoperative course of lower third molar surgery.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether smoking influences the postoperative course (pain and trismus) of lower third molar surgery, with a clinical evaluation of surgical wound condition and analysis of the possible differences between smokers and nonsmokers. DESIGN The study subjects were randomly distributed into two groups (smokers and nonsmokers) and subjected to lower third molar extraction in the Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Madrid Complutense University, Spain). The study variables were trismus after 7 days, the intensity of pain and the need for rescue medication during a period of one week. The surgical wound was also assessed (color, presence of plaque, etc). RESULTS Two cases of postoperative infection were documented among the smokers, and postoperative trismus was found to be greater among the latter (p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of pain, though trismus was greater among the smokers. Smoking did not influence wound condition (color, marginal inflammation, appositioning of the margins, ulceration, etc).