Treatment with Ciprofloxacin showed a significant success rate in relieving dry socket symptoms, with 73.3% of patients completely pain-free within 24 hours, supporting the infectious mechanism hypothesis for dry socket pathophysiology.

A pilot retrospective study was undertaken with the aim of suggesting an innovative understanding of the development and treatment of dry sockets, focusing on an infectious mechanism. Additionally, the study sought to assess the efficacy of Ciprofloxacin treatment in patients who did not respond to traditional topical remedies for dry sockets.

The research involved a review of the medical records from a private dental clinic, specifically examining subjects who met the predefined criteria. These encompassed individuals aged 17 years or older who had been diagnosed with a persistent dry socket unresponsive to conventional topical therapies and had undergone a treatment regimen of Ciprofloxacin at a dosage of 500 mg thrice daily throughout the study duration.

Among the 15 patients who received a regimen of 500 mg of Ciprofloxacin thrice a day during the study period, 11 patients (73.3%) experienced complete symptom relief within 24 hours, requiring no further pain relievers or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Additionally, 2 volunteers (13.3%) exhibited partial improvement following 48 hours, with their severe pain transitioning to a moderate level, alleviated by conventional painkillers (such as NSAIDs and Paracetamol) and steroidal anti-inflammatory medication like Dexamethasone (8 mg intramuscularly daily) until complete relief was achieved. Conversely, the remaining 2 subjects (13.3%) did not respond positively to the treatment and were subsequently lost to follow-up.

Ciprofloxacin treatment yielded a remarkable success rate in attaining complete pain relief within 24 hours for dry socket patients. Hence, an infectious mechanism appears to play a key role in dry sockets pathophysiology.