A study was carried out to measure the incidence of dry socket and wound infection following third molar removal under endotracheal general anaesthetic. One group of patients received pre-operative preparation of the perioral skin with a 10% solution of povidine-iodine, while the other received no skin preparation. Routine skin preparation imposes a risk of contact dermatitis and necessarily involves expense. In relation to postoperative wound infection, this practise was of no benefit. The results of this study provide evidence that skin preparation with povidine-iodine prior to third molar extractions should be discontinued.