title: Risk indicators of postoperative complications following surgical extraction of lower third molars.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this prospective clinical trial was to evaluate the incidence of postoperative complications following surgical extraction of lower third molars (L8) and the risk factors and clinical variables associated with these complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three-hundred and twenty-seven consecutive patients (128 men and 199 women, mean age = 23.1 ± 3.9 years, range: 18-40) were recruited to this study. The L8 of all the patients were surgically extracted. Immediate and late complications like pain, swelling, trismus, paresthesia, bleeding, dry socket, infection and fracture were assessed 3 and 7-14 days, respectively, following the surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent immediate and late complications were slight pain, swelling, and trismus. Thirty-nine (11.9%) patients reported dry socket and 10 (0.3%) reversible sensory nerve complications. More immediate and late complications were experienced by females (p = 0.000 and 0.016, respectively). Older subjects reported more late complications. Frequent immediate and late complications were associated with preexisting pericoronitis, longer duration of operation, extraction of two molars, flaps with vertical incision, extractions with bone removal, extractions without tooth sectioning and distoangular impactions (p ≤ 0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that the above factors were able to predict postoperative complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most frequent immediate and late complications were slight pain, swelling, and trismus. Preoperative complaints, angulation of the impacted molars, duration of surgery, type of surgical flap, the need for bone removal and tooth sectioning could predict and had an impact on the incidence of postoperative complications following L8 removal. Females and older patients were likely to have more postoperative complications following surgical extraction of L8.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
authors.forename: Ziad
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Malkawi
authors.forename: Mahmoud K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Al-Omiri
authors.forename: Ameen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khraisat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004368:Dry Socket / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000601:surgery*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014313:Trismus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult