Novel topical dressing for dry socket and comparison of its efficacy with that of Alvogyl®: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of a novel topical dressing (composed of triamcinolone, ground Dianthus caryophyllus, eugenol, honey, and Iris germanica) for alveolar osteitis (dry socket) against Alvogyl® (composed of eugenol, butamben, and iodoform).

Material and methods: In a randomized parallel-armed clinical trial at Mashhad Dental School's Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 36 patients with alveolar osteitis were randomly allocated into two groups according to the inclusion criteria (n=18), using sealed envelopes: one receiving a novel topical dressing and the other receiving Alvogyl®. Post-treatment pain was assessed using a visual analog scale immediately after the procedure and at 30 and 60 minutes, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, and one week later, as well as the frequency of dressing applications and analgesic usage. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.

Results: Analyses were completed on all 36 participants without dropouts. No significant age or gender differences were found between the groups at baseline (p=0.370 and p=0.502, respectively). The novel dressing group experienced significantly lower pain scores at 30 and 60 minutes post-treatment (p<0.001), but higher scores at 24 (p=0.029), 48 (p=0.001), and 72 (p=0.017) hours, and similar pain scores immediately after the procedure and at 96 hours and 1 week (p>0.05), compared to the Alvogyl® group. The mean number of analgesics taken (p=0.097) and the mean frequency of dressing application (p=0.839) were not significantly different between the two groups.

Conclusions: The novel topical dressing demonstrated efficacy comparable to Alvogyl®, with the added benefits of cost-effectiveness and the absence of side effects, suggesting its potential as an alternative treatment for dry socket.