Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of CHX rinses were eligible for inclusion. The included studies used either a single rinse on the day of surgery with different methods of CHX administration, or multiple rinses on the day of surgery and for one week after surgery (as well as pre-surgery rinsing in some studies). Details of the comparators used were not provided.
Participants included in the review
Studies of patients having mandibular third molars extracted were eligible for inclusion.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies assessing the incidence of AO were eligible for inclusion. The authors stated that to be eligible for inclusion the included studies had to use similar criteria to diagnose AO, though further details of the criteria required were not provided. The criteria used to diagnose AO in the included studies were not identical: the studies used various combinations of denuded socket, necrotic debris, fetid breath, loss of blood clot, pain not relieved by analgesics, trismus and paper point test for blood.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Three reviewers independently screened studies for relevance.