Efficacy of topical application of zinc compounds for oral mucosal diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Zinc has been used as a topical therapeutic agent for the management of various oral and dermatological conditions. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical zinc therapy in the prevention and treatment of oral mucosal diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search across four databases identified studies evaluating the effects of topical zinc therapy on oral mucosal diseases. Two independent reviewers evaluated the identified studies, extracting relevant data. Risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis were performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RESULTS: This systematic review included 14 studies: eight on oral mucositis, three on recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), two on oral lichen planus (OLP), and one on herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. Among them, seven studies on oral mucositis, two on RAS, and two on OLP were RCTs. The oral mucositis studies demonstrated that topical zinc therapy significantly alleviated cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis, with meta-analysis confirming significant improvement at weeks 2, 3, and 4 compared with control treatments. For RAS, topical zinc therapy reduced pain intensity and ulcer size although significant differences between treatment and control groups were observed in only one RCT. For OLP, two RCTs reported symptom improvement although treatment outcomes varied. Additionally, a case series has suggested the potential benefit of topical zinc in mitigating HSV recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Topical zinc therapy has promising efficacy in managing oral mucosal diseases, particularly in cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis. However, evidence for other conditions remains limited. Further comprehensive RCTs are needed to establish its effectiveness across various oral mucosal diseases.