Does Chlorhexidine Prevent Alveolar Osteitis After Third Molar Extractions? Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The prevention of alveolar osteitis (AO) in dental extractions remains a controversial issue. Chlorhexidine is one of the most widely studied antiseptics for the prevention of AO. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of chlorhexidine in the prevention of AO after third molar extractions.

The authors searched databases and the references of each article retrieved up to December 2015. Clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using only chlorhexidine were included. The predictor variable was whether chlorhexidine was used in any formulation, concentration, or regimen. The outcome measurement was the incidence of postoperative AO. The authors also recorded variables describing the characteristics of the included studies. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 12.0. Meta-analysis of binary data was conducted using a fixed-effects model. Risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Forest, l'Abbé, and funnel plots were constructed.

Twenty-three studies published from 1979 to 2015, corresponding to 18 trials (16 parallel-group and 2 split-mouth RCTs), that reported on 2,824 third molar extractions (1,458 in experimental group and 1,366 in control group) were included. The overall relative risk (RR) was 0.53 (95% CI, 0.45-0.62; P < .0001). There was no evidence of heterogeneity (I² = 9.3%; P = .336 by χ² test). The number needed to treat was 8 (95% CI, 7-11). There were no relevant differences between chlorhexidine rinse (RR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.47-0.71) and gel (RR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.37-0.60). Chlorhexidine did not cause a larger proportion of adverse reactions than placebo.

The use of chlorhexidine, in any formulation, concentration, or regimen, is efficacious and effective in preventing AO in patients who have undergone third molar extraction. Chlorhexidine gel was found to be moderately more efficacious than the rinse formulation.