Effect of antimicrobial mouth rinses on the incidence of localized alveolitis and infection following mandibular third molar oral surgery.

Mandibular third molars were removed from 400 patients who were divided into four different preoperative and postoperative rinsing groups using either normal saline solution, chloramine-T, povidone iodine, or sodium bicarbonate. The overall incidence of localized alveolitis and infection was 4.5% and 1.7%, respectfully. The incidence of the two postoperative problems proved not to be statistically significant when the four groups were compared with each other. There seems to be no apparent advantage to the preoperative and postoperative use of an antimicrobial mouth rinse in place of normal saline solution in reducing the incidence of either localized alveolitis or postoperative infections.