['To provide evidence in contrast to a widely held belief that the dry socket, ie Alveolar Osteitis (AO), is primarily a biological process and not a mechanical disruption or removal of the clot due to suction from utilizing a straw in the postoperative period.', 'Sixty randomly selected patients had all 4 third molars extracted. One half of the patients were given straws to use with all meals for 2 days after surgery.', 'Two-hundred-twenty teeth were extracted. No dry socket occurred in the maxilla, 17 occurred in the mandible; 8 or 15% who had used a straw and 9 or 15% who did not.'] Do straws cause dry sockets when third molars are extracted?