M27.3 classifies alveolitis of the jaws — a post-extraction focal osteomyelitis of the alveolar socket, most recognized clinically as dry socket (alveolar osteitis), characterized by disintegration or loss of the protective blood clot and resulting in exposed bone, severe pain, and foul odor.

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M27.3.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 4 cited references ↓

• Record the specific tooth extraction site (e.g., mandibular third molar, maxillary premolar) and the date of the original extraction so reviewers can confirm the post-procedural timeline.
• Document the clinical findings that confirm alveolitis: exposed alveolar bone in the socket, absence or disintegration of the blood clot, severity of pain, and presence of halitosis or foul odor.
• Use 'dry socket,' 'alveolar osteitis,' or 'alveolitis of jaw' explicitly in the assessment — all three terms map to M27.3 and are recognized synonyms in the ICD-10-CM Tabular List.
• Note whether the extraction was traumatic or surgical, as this contextualizes medical necessity and supports distinction from routine post-extraction healing.
• If imaging was obtained (periapical X-ray, CBCT), document findings such as absence of socket fill or adjacent bone involvement to support the diagnosis and rule out more serious pathology like osteomyelitis.

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M27.3 and adjacent codes.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in CDC ICD-10-CM tabular guidance, AAOS coding references, and cited references ↓

• Confusing M27.3 with M27.2 (Inflammatory conditions of jaws): M27.2 covers broader jaw inflammatory disease; M27.3 is specific to post-extraction alveolar socket involvement — use the more specific code when dry socket is documented.
• Assigning M27.3 when the documented condition is an active odontogenic abscess or periapical abscess — those map to K04.x or K10.2 series, not M27.3.
• Omitting a causal or sequencing link when dry socket follows a documented procedure — code the procedural encounter correctly and sequence M27.3 as the complication diagnosis where applicable.
• Assuming laterality is needed: M27.3 has no laterality subdivisions in the ICD-10-CM Tabular List; document which jaw for clinical completeness but know the code itself does not differentiate right from left.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 4 cited references ↓

Inclusion & exclusion notes

Per the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List.

Source · CDC ICD-10-CM Official Tabular List · 2026

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M27 (laterality / anatomic variants).