Is povidone-iodine a hemostyptic? A clinical study.

Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is an antiseptic agent commonly used on intact skin in preparation for surgery and on open wounds. In oral surgery it is used for irrigating alveolar sockets following extraction. The present authors found by chance that irrigation of extraction sockets with povidone-iodine led to cessation of bleeding in patients without recurrence. Fifty patients were selected and divided equally into treatment and control groups. Povidone-iodine (1%, w/v) was used for irrigation of extraction sockets in the treatment group and saline was used in the control group. In the treatment group, 19 patients showed cessation of bleeding compared to only 5 in the control group. Povidone-iodine significantly (P<0.01) controlled bleeding as compared to saline. Iodine is corrosive due to its oxidizing potential while povidone is a thickening and granulating agent; together they may have a chemocauterizing effect that could be the reason for the cessation of bleeding. These results suggest that povidone-iodine may act as a hemostyptic as well as an antiseptic.