What do systematic reviews say?

Antioxidants (lycopene, curcumin, Oxitard) vs Placebo or no active treatment

• Interventions for managing oral submucous fibrosis 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse effects (any): 0 in placebo vs 2 minor (flatulence and bloating); 90 (1); no GRADE rating given.
  1 study · 90 participants
  GRADE not reported

Vasodilator vs Placebo or no active treatment

• Interventions for managing oral submucous fibrosis 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse effects (any): 0 placebo vs 14 minor (transient flushing and upper trunk warmness); 85 (2); no GRADE rating.
  2 studies · 85 participants
  GRADE not reported

Abdominal dermal fat graft vs Nasolabial flap

• Interventions for managing oral submucous fibrosis 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Kania 2022 reported 3/30 serious adverse effects (graft failure) requiring prolonged hospital stay in the abdominal dermal fat graft group; no GRADE rating.
  1 study · 30 participants
  GRADE not reported

Intralesional dexamethasone injections vs placebo injection

• Interventions for managing oral submucous fibrosis 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse effects (any): no adverse effects reported; 25 (1); no GRADE rating.
  1 study · 25 participants
  GRADE not reported

Topical triamcinolone acetonide vs pimecrolimus 1%

Topical triamcinolone acetonide showed no clear difference in adverse effects compared with topical pimecrolimus; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  end of treatment
  RR 0.21 [0.01, 4.10]
  1 study · 35 participants
  GRADE not reported

Topical triamcinolone acetonide vs Topical tacrolimus

Topical triamcinolone acetonide may leads to lower adverse effects compared with topical tacrolimus (low certainty).

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3-8 weeks
  RR 0.47 [0.22, 0.99]
  2 studies · 58 participants
  Low

Topical clobetasol propionate vs Topical tacrolimus

It is very uncertain whether topical clobetasol propionate changes adverse effects compared with topical tacrolimus (very low certainty).

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3-8 weeks
  RR 0.05 [0.00, 0.83]
  2 studies · 100 participants
  Very low

Topical triamcinolone acetonide vs Topical ciclosporin

Topical triamcinolone acetonide led to lower adverse effects compared with topical ciclosporin; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  end of treatment
  RR 0.15 [0.05, 0.49]
  1 study · 139 participants
  GRADE not reported

Dexamethasone + nystatin + curcumin (adjunctive) vs Dexamethasone + nystatin + placebo

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Amirchaghmaghi 2016: no adverse effects recorded in either group (low-certainty)
  1 study
  Low

Topical clobetasol propionate vs Topical ciclosporin

It is very uncertain whether topical clobetasol propionate changes adverse effects compared with topical ciclosporin (very low certainty).

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3-8 weeks
  RR 6.32 [0.84, 47.69]
  1 study · 39 participants
  Very low

Topical corticosteroids vs placebo

It is very uncertain whether topical corticosteroid changes adverse effects compared with placebo (very low certainty).

• Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3-9 weeks
  RR 1.48 [0.48, 4.56]
  3 studies · 88 participants
  Very low

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF; palifermin or repifermin), intravenous vs placebo

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No evidence of a difference in reported adverse events across the three trials (nausea, fever, constipation, diarrhoea, headache, fatigue and others)
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported

Amifostine (intravenous) vs Amifostine (subcutaneous)

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Increased hypotension with intravenous delivery (20% vs 8%; P = 0.007); skin rash (10% vs 22%; P = 0.012) and local pain at injection site (0% vs 8%; P = 0.001) worse with subcutaneous; inconclusive for…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Topical treatments (benzydamine hydrochloride oral rinse) vs placebo

• Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  short-term (up to 3 months) · benzydamine hydrochloride
  SoF9. Adverse effects: single study narratively reported that no adverse effects occurred from benzydamine hydrochloride oral rinse; 20 participants (1 RCT); very low.
  1 study · 20 participants
  Very low

Psychological therapies (cognitive therapy) vs placebo

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  short-term (up to 3 months)
  SoF8: No included study reported the occurrence of adverse events.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs placebo

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  short-term (up to 3 months)
  SoF6: No included study reported the occurrence of adverse events.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Non-specific immunotherapy (recombinant interleukin-2 or BCG cell wall preparation) plus standard therapy vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

Non-specific immunotherapy (recombinant interleukin-2 or BCG cell… showed no clear difference in adverse effects compared with standard therapy alone; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Moderate to severe chills (BCG-CWP, all grades)
  RR 11.00 [0.67, 179.29]
  1 study · 24 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Nausea/vomiting (rIL-2, grades >=3)
  RR 3.40 [0.15, 77.34]
  1 study · 30 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Stomatitis (rIL-2, all grades)
  RR 1.47 [0.75, 2.90]
  1 study · 30 participants
  GRADE not reported

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (erlotinib, gefitinib or lapatinib) plus standard therapy (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (erlotinib, gefitinib or lapatinib) plus… led to higher adverse effects compared with standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  40 to 60 months · Skin toxicity (lapatinib, all grades)
  RR 2.02 [1.23, 3.32]
  1 study · 67 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  40 to 60 months · Gastrointestinal complaints (gefitinib, all grades)
  RR 1.04 [0.98, 1.11]
  1 study · 226 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  40 to 60 months · Gastrointestinal complaints (lapatinib, all grades)
  RR 15.53 [2.18, 110.55]
  1 study · 67 participants
  GRADE not reported

EGFR monoclonal antibody (cetuximab or nimotuzumab) plus standard therapy (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Mucositis (all grades)
  Mucositis all grades: not estimable due to high heterogeneity (P=0.0009; I2=86%) between subgroups (cetuximab; nimotuzumab) and within cetuximab (I2=93%); 1417 participants, 3 studies. Table 3, row 1.6 (Ang 2014;…
  3 studies · 1417 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Skin toxicity/acneiform rash (cetuximab, all grades)
  RR 6.56 [5.35, 8.03]
  2 studies · 1311 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Xerostomia (grades >=3)
  RR 1.36 [0.80, 2.31]
  2 studies · 1311 participants
  GRADE not reported

Levamisole (150 mg per day) vs placebo

• Systemic interventions for recurrent aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers) 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Patients receiving levamisole reported more adverse effects than those receiving placebo (mild stomach upset/nausea, diarrhoea, sleeplessness, dysgeusia/dysosmia), however no adverse effects were reported as requiring…
  8 studies
  GRADE not reported