Nitrous oxide cryotherapy for the management of benign lesions of the oral cavity.

Abstract

Cryotherapy is the deliberate destruction of tissue by the application of extreme cold, and has been indicated as a treatment modality for the management of commonly occurring benign oral pathologies. The aim of this study was to investigate treatment protocol parameters and effectiveness of a closed cryotherapy system for the management of oral mucoceles and vascular malformations. This retrospective study analyzed data collected from a specialist oral medicine clinic referred for treatment of oral mucoceles or vascular malformations. Data was analyzed to determine lesion characteristics, treatment parameters, and clinical effectiveness of a closed cryotherapy system. The closed cryotherapy system achieved 100% success rate in lesion resolution. For both pathologies, increased lesion diameter was related to increased number of cryotherapy appointments, increased number of freeze cycles, and increased cumulative freeze time. 95% of vascular malformations and 83.34% of mucoceles resolved with no signs of post-operative complication, and patients did not report postoperative pain. Cryotherapy is an excellent treatment option for benign lesion management. It is minimally invasive, causes minimal discomfort, and has a high rate of clinical success.