The potential role of Photodynamic therapy in oral premalignant and malignant lesions: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered as a valid treatment option in various branches of dentistry. This systematic review aims to evaluate the usefulness of PDT for treatment of oral premalignant and malignant lesions.

METHODS

The MeSH terms "Photodynamic therapy" and "PDT," in combination with other terms, have been searched by three search engines (PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library), and a systematic review has been performed. The Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study design (PICOS) has been applied as method to outline our study eligibility criteria. Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Intervention (ROBINS-I) has been performed too.

RESULTS

Initial results were 1513. Definitely, 27 studies met our selection criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

Topical PDT is an easy to perform technique, well-tolerated treatment and it appears to be an effective method with encouraging achievements in the treatment of premalignant and malignant lesions of the soft tissues of the oral cavity; nevertheless more studies are required to integrate the up-to-date experience of this application.