Chitosan for the treatment of inflammationof the oral mucosa: A systematic review / Chitosán para el tratamiento de la inflamación de la mucosa oral: una revisión sistemática

ABSTRACT

Background: Chitosan is a cheap, accessible, nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable compound. Also, thispolysaccharide possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Consequently, a wide range of chitosanapplications in the dentistry field has been explored. This work aimed to conduct a systematic review to addressthe clinical efficacy of chitosan for the treatment of oral mucositis.Material and Methods: The design of the included studies were observational studies, randomized clinical trials(RCT), and non-randomized clinical trials (non-RCT), whereas, a series of cases, in vivo, and in vitro studies wereexcluded. The search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source,and ClinicalTrials. Gray literature was searched at Google Scholar. Relevant data from all included studies wererecorded. The risk of bias (using RoB 2) and the quality (using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Devel-opment, and Evaluation, GRADE) assessments were carried out.Results: From the 8413 records screened, 5 clinical trials fully met the eligibility criteria, which comprised a totalof 192 participants suffering oral lesions and pain related to oral mucositis. 100% of the included studies exhibiteda high risk of bias. The quality of the studies was between low and very low.Conclusions: The results of the included studies suggest that chitosan can diminish pain and improve the healingof ulcers in oral mucositis. However, there is no conclusive evidence of chitosan as a superior treatment for oralmucositis compared with other current therapies.(AU)