DELAYED ONSET INFECTION (A CASE REPORT)

Transalveolar extraction of impacted wisdom teeth is one of the most common surgical procedure in oral surgery department. The most common complications after surgery are alveolitis and surgical site infection. In most of the patients inammatory complications are there until the point of suture removal. Among patients considered to have made a full recovery, postprocedural complications may occur weeks later and delayed onset infection (DOI) is one of them. Although it is a rare complication of wisdom tooth extractions but it can result in severe physical and emotional burdens. The onset of delayed infection could be a greater problem in terms of medicolegal problem because this complication arises in a period in which a patient believes the healing is completed. Therefore, surgeons should inform patients of the possibility of a DOI, which is most likely to appear approximately 4 weeks after surgery.