Early Wound Healing After Chlorhexidine Rinsing in Third Molar Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Area of Science:

• Oral Surgery
• Wound Healing
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Optimal wound healing is critical in oral surgery.
• Third molar extraction is a common surgical procedure.
• Postoperative wound care significantly impacts patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of chlorhexidine + anti-discoloration system (CHX+ADS) mouth rinse, with or without hyaluronic acid (HA), in promoting wound healing after third molar surgery.
• To compare CHX+ADS and CHX+ADS+HA treatments against a placebo (PLCB).

Main Methods:

• A single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted.
• Participants were assigned to three groups: CHX+ADS+HA, CHX+ADS, or PLCB.
• Wound healing was assessed using the Early Healing Index (EHI) at 3, 7, and 14 days post-surgery.

Main Results:

• Both CHX+ADS groups showed significantly better wound healing than placebo at 3 and 7 days (p<0.01 for CHX+ADS+HA, p<0.05 for CHX+ADS).
• The addition of HA to CHX+ADS resulted in improved healing at Days 3 and 7 compared to CHX+ADS alone (p<0.05).
• No significant differences in healing were observed among the groups at 14 days.

Conclusions:

• CHX+ADS-based mouth rinses effectively promote early wound healing following third molar extraction.
• Hyaluronic acid as an adjunct to CHX+ADS further enhances wound closure, particularly during the initial postoperative week.