[Does chlorhexidine work as a preventive treatment for dry socket?]

The literature shows dry socket to occur in approximately 25% of cases following the extraction of mandibular third molars. The most frequently used preventive medication, both in the literature and in practice, is chlorhexidine. This medication is used orally by the patient for a few days following extraction, as a rinse for a few minutes each day, or as a gel once. Two systematic reviews of the literature and meta-analyses of dozens of randomised clinical studies show that with chlorhexidine, the risk of dry socket following extraction of a mandibular third molar is reduced by half.