title: Reduction in the incidence of alveolar osteitis in patients treated with the SaliCept patch, containing Acemannan hydrogel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the present study, we compared the incidence of alveolar osteitis (AO) in patients treated with either clindamycin-soaked Gelfoam (Pharmacia and Upjohn Co, Kalamazoo, MI) or SaliCept Patches (Carrington Laboratories, Inc, Irving, TX). The SaliCept Patch is a freeze-dried pledget that contains Acemannan Hydrogel (Carrington Laboratories) obtained from the clear inner gel of Aloe vera L.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective evaluation was performed of the records of 587 patients (1,031 sockets) whose extraction sites had been treated with clindamycin-soaked Gelfoam. A prospective trial was conducted in which 607 patients (1,064 sockets) had 2 SaliCept Patches placed immediately after extraction. The same surgeon treated all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis restricted to mandibular third molar sites showed that 78 of 975 sites (8.0%) in the Gelfoam group developed AO, whereas only 11 of 958 sites (1.1%) in the SaliCept group developed AO (P <.0001). Further analysis of all extraction sites revealed that the incidence of AO in the Gelfoam group was 7.6% compared with 1.1% in the SaliCept-treated group (P <.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study results suggest that the SaliCept Patch significantly reduces the incidence of AO compared with clindamycin-soaked Gelfoam.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA. Txpoors@aol.com
authors.forename: Miles R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Poor
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Anne S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Poor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000504:Aloe; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004368:Dry Socket / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005781:Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006490:Hemostatics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008351:Mannans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D006490:Hemostatics; D008351:Mannans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002981:Clindamycin; C058414:acemannan