Comparative efficacy of 0.2% chlorhexidine and 10% Betadine for perioral skin disinfection prior to oral surgical procedures: a clinical trial.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is a possible postoperative complication. Preoperative application of antiseptics on the surgical site can decrease the rate of SSIs.

Aim: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) and 10% Betadine (povidone-iodine) for perioral skin disinfection prior to oral surgical procedures.

Methods: This clinical trial (IRCT20181017041365N1) (registration date: 2019/05/04) evaluated 57 male patients who were randomly selected among those presenting to the Periodontology Department of Ahvaz Jundishapur University. Baseline microbial samples were collected from the perioral skin at the right and left sides of the face in each patient by sterile swabs. Next, the perioral area was disinfected with 10% Betadine in the right side and 0.2% CHX in the left side. Secondary microbial samples were then collected. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare the colony counts. The significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. Data were analyzed with the Stata program, version15.1.

Results: The bacterial colony count was 3147 (314,700) in the Betadine and 3139 (313,900) in the CHX group at baseline (P = 0.86). These values changed to 1196 (119,600) in the Betadine (P < 0.001) and 857 (85,700) in the CHX (P < 0.001) group after disinfection. A significant difference was found in colony count between the CHX and Betadine groups after intervention (P = 0.0001).

Conclusion: According to the results, 0.2% CHX has higher antimicrobial efficacy than 10% Betadine for perioral disinfection prior to oral surgical procedures.

Trial Registration: IRCT20181017041365N1. Registered on 2019/05/04.