ArticleBMJ nutrition, prevention & health2026
Influence of milk and dairy products on wound healing after wisdom teeth removal: a prospective clinical study.
Article in BMJ nutrition, prevention & health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The oral cavity poses a challenging surgical site due to physiologically high bacterial load and limited disinfection efficacy, attributed to biofilm-promoting surfaces of teeth and saliva. To minimise postoperative wound healing complications, clinicians in German-speaking countries traditionally advise against the consumption of milk and dairy products following dental, oral and maxillofacial (OMF) surgery. Although primarily rooted in historical tradition, the belief that milk impairs wound healing remains prevalent. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the impact of milk and dairy product consumption on intraoral wound healing following elective surgical removal of impacted third molars. This prospective, controlled, single-blinded clinical trial analysed data from 157 healthy patients who underwent surgical removal of impacted third molars. Participants were randomised to either consume milk and dairy products at least three times per day (experimental group; n=77) or completely avoid dairy (control group; n=80) during a 7-day postoperative period. Wound healing was assessed using the adapted ASEPSA (Additional treatment, Serous exudate, Erythema, Purulent exudate, Separation of deep tissue, Admission to the hospital) wound scoring system. The total follow-up period was 3 months to monitor for late wound healing complications. The majority of patients (90,4%; n=142), regardless of group allocation, achieved an ASEPSA score of 0, indicating undisturbed wound healing. The overall postoperative complication rate was 7.0% (n=11), with a higher incidence observed in the control group (n=8) compared with the dairy group (n=3) (p>0.05). Specifically, the rate of infectious complications was 2.5% (n=4), with no evidence of an increased infection risk associated with dairy consumption. These findings do not support the assumption that milk consumption impairs wound healing. Postoperative intake of milk and dairy products was not associated with an increased rate of wound healing disturbances or infectious complications. Moreover, the dairy-containing diet was perceived as less restrictive and contributed to greater patient comfort. Consequently, the recommendation to avoid milk following oral surgery can no longer be justified.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.