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Aloe vera in treatment of oral submucous fibrosis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
AlMaweri Sadeq Ali,
Ashraf Sajna,
Lingam Amara Swapna,
Alqutaibi Ahmed,
Abdulrab Saleem,
Alaizari Nader,
Halboub Esam
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/jop.12789
Subject(s) - oral submucous fibrosis , aloe vera , medicine , meta analysis , randomized controlled trial , clinical trial , medline , web of science , systematic review , oral medicine , physical therapy , surgery , traditional medicine , dentistry , political science , law
The management of oral submucous fibrosis ( OSF ) is quite challenging, and as yet, no effective therapy is available for its management. The present systematic review and meta‐analysis sought to assess the effectiveness of aloe vera in alleviating pain and clinical signs of OSF . A comprehensive search in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted to identify the relevant randomized clinical trials. RevMan 5.3 software was used for data analysis. Six randomized controlled trials fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results of meta‐analysis showed statistically significant differences between aloe vera and control groups in alleviating pain/burning sensation at the end of the first and second month, in favor of aloe vera, but no significant differences were found at the end of the third month. With regard to objective clinical outcomes, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. Aloe vera has a promising effect in reducing pain/burning sensation and clinical improvement in patients with OSF . However, owing to the marked heterogeneity of the included studies, conducting well‐designed trials with long follow‐up periods, standardized outcome measures and adequate sample sizes are warranted.