Efficacy of photobiomodulation in the treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis: A meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

Abstract

Oral mucositis is a debilitating complication of chemotherapy, characterized by erythema, ulcers and oedema of the oral mucosa. This review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Photobiomod-ulation in the treatment of oral mucositis using meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis, and also to assess the quality of the results by Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). A comprehensive search of three databases, including Embase, Medline and Central, was performed to identify randomized controlled trials studying the efficacy of Pho-tobiomodulation in the treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. The primary outcome was reduction in the severity of oral mucositis. Secondary outcomes were pain relief, dura-tion of oral mucositis and adverse effects. The meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model, and random errors of the meta-analyses were detected by trial sequential analysis. A total of 6 randomized controlled trials with 398 participants were included in our analysis. Photobiomodula-tion significantly reduced the severity of oral mucositis when compared to sham radiation (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.93; p < 0.05). Sensitivity analysis by excluding trials with high risk of bias reiterated the robustness of our results (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.48). Trial sequential analysis illustrated that the evidence from the meta-analysis was conclusive. The result of the meta-analyses with trial sequential analysis illustrated that Photobiomodulation is an effective therapeutic intervention for the treatment of oral mucositis, and the evidence gathered can be considered conclusive with a moderate level of certainty according to GRADE. Further trials are recommended to standardize the laser parameters required for the optimal effect.