Disposable surgical face masks: A systematic review

Two randomised controlled trials were included involving a total of 1453 patients. In a small trial there was a trend towards masks being associated with fewer infections, whereas in a large trial there was no difference in infection rates between the masked and unmasked group. Neither trial accounted for cluster randomisation in the analysis. From the limited results it is unclear whether wearing surgical face masks results in any harm or benefit to the patient undergoing clean surgery.