The Effect of Calcium Alginate Dressing on Bleeding and Complications After Tooth Extraction

Abstract Background and Aim: Post extraction Bleeding is a well-known and frequent complication that can continue for 8-12 hours after surgery and if not controlled, it can create a range of complications from a simple hematoma to a large amount of blood loss. Calcium alginate dressing, can result in  hemostasis and accelerate healing of tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of calcium alginate dressing, compared to conventional dressing on bleeding and complications after tooth extraction. Materials and Methods: The study was a clinical trial (Split mouth).This study was performed on 30 patient and 60 Samples referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial surgery department, who needed bilateral simple extraction in one jaw, which did not have the exclusive criteria. Two teeth of each jaw were randomly divided into two groups of control and case group. In the case group, after removing the tooth, we used calcium alginate dressing, and in the control group, we used the conventional dressing (gaz). The  groups were assessed for bleeding, at one hour and 24 hours after tooth extraction and also, at the third and seventh day after extraction. The pain was evaluated by VAS criteria at 10 degrees and the dry socket was evaluated based on BLUM criteria and tissue healing (by Healing Scale) at 10 degrees from 0 to 9. These indices were analyzed by MANN-U-WHITNEY test in two groups. Result: Study was conducted on 30 patients and 60 samples (17 male and 13 females) with a mean age of 33±6.5.Bleeding in one hour after extraction in the control group was 66.7% and in the calcium Alginate group was 43.3%(p<0.06). Bleeding after 24 hours was 26.7% in the control group and 3.3% in the case group (p<0.02). At the third day, the pain level in the control group was 1.8±1.3 and in the case group was 2.1 ±1.5(p<0.4). Healing in the control group was 6.37±1.7 and in the case group was 6.4±2.2(p˂0.8). Dry socket occurrence in the control group was 6.7% and in the case group was 3.3%(p<0.7). On the seventh day follow up, the pain level in the control group was 0.9 ±0.8 and in the case group was 0.9±0.7(p<0.8). The healing rate and dry socket occurrence were similar in both groups. Conclusion: This study showed that calcium alginate dressing reduced the amount of bleeding after tooth extraction significantly, but is not affect the other complications.