Vitamin D Status and Post-Extraction Bone Healing After Mandibular Third Molar Surgery

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone metabolism and may influence postoperative healing processes. This study evaluated the association between preoperative serum vitamin D levels and recovery after mandibular third molar extraction. This secondary exploratory analysis included 122 healthy patients undergoing surgical extraction of an impacted mandibular third molar, of whom 98 had complete datasets for clinical and radiographic evaluation. Postoperative outcomes included pain intensity, facial swelling, trismus, early soft tissue healing assessed with the Wachtel Early Healing Index, and bone regeneration evaluated four months after surgery using CBCT-based fractal dimension analysis. Serum vitamin D levels were not significantly associated with postoperative pain, trismus, or early soft tissue healing. A weak correlation was observed between lower vitamin D levels and greater swelling along the tragus–pogonion line on postoperative day 1 (ρ = −0.21, p = 0.035), with no significant associations at later time points. Fractal dimension analysis did not demonstrate significant differences between groups. Within the limitations of this secondary exploratory analysis, vitamin D levels showed limited and inconsistent associations with postoperative outcomes, and their clinical relevance remains uncertain.