Comparison of efficacy of ozonated water, normal saline, and povidone-iodine after surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars: A cross-sectional study

Background: Surgical extraction of mandibular third molars is an important and one of the most frequently performed operative procedures in dentistry. There are a variety of postoperative complications that may follow this procedure. These include pain, trismus, infection, dry socket, or alveolar osteitis. Numerous techniques have been used for reducing these morbid conditions. These range from flap designs, suture placement, use of various irrigating solutions, etc., Aim: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of three irrigating solutions: Ozonated water, normal saline, and povidone-iodine in reducing postoperative complications following surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 study participants formed the sample size of this study. Study subjects were categorized into three groups: Group I (third molar surgeries using ozonated water), Group II (third molar surgeries with normal saline irrigation), and Group III (third molar surgeries using povidone-iodine irrigation). Parameters studied postoperatively were alveolar osteitis (dry socket), pain, trismus, and infection after a week interval. All data obtained were entered in Microsoft Excel 2007 worksheets and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) as a statistical tool was employed. A P value of < 0.01 was considered statistically significant. Results: It was found that ozonated water provided the best statistically proven results with comparison to normal saline and povidone-iodine in reducing the incidence of alveolar osteitis or dry socket and pain. No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of trismus and infection rate among three studied groups. Conclusion: Ozonated water is the best irrigating solution when compared to normal saline and povidone-iodine in terms of reduction in pain and dry socket after a 1-week duration.