Topical herbal therapeutic formulation used in the management of oral potentially malignant disorders – A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are divided into two groups precancerous lesions, a benign lesion with morphologically altered tissue, which has a greater than normal risk of transforming into malignancy, and precancerous conditions, a disease or patient's habit that does not necessarily alter the appearance of local tissues but is associated with a greater or normal risk of precancerous lesion or cancer development in that tissue. Aim: This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of topical herbal therapeutics in the management of potentially malignant oral disorders. Objective: Primary objective was to evaluate the efficiency of tulsi, aloe vera, and turmeric in the management of OPMDs, and the secondary objective was to determine the herbal therapeutic response in patients with oral leukoplakia oral sub, mucous fibrosis, and lichen planus. Data Sources and Search Methods: The search was done using the MeSH [medical subject headings] terms and keyword search in the electronic databases, namely Pub Med and Google Scholar. The studies included in this systematic review were identified by a comprehensive search from the electronic search engines like Pub Med Advanced search (from April up to January 2021) and Google scholar. The search yielded 39 articles out of which 11 articles were only included based on the inclusion criteria. Data Collection and Analysis: All the studies included were based on the data extraction and analysis of the studies for quality. The outcome measure evaluated the reduction in burning sensation, mouth opening, and clinical resolution of the lesion. Results: A total of 39 articles were included in this systematic review from electronic searches using Pub Med advanced search and Google scholar. Conclusion: For management of oral submucous fibrosis topical aloe vera gel showed 90% of complete clinical response, oral lichen planus topical tulsi and turmeric gel showed 90% complete clinical response, and only two studies were conducted on oral leukoplakia which had a high risk of bias; hence, this systematic review does not yield to a piece of conclusive evidence for the management of oral leukoplakia using topical herbal therapeutics.