In situ gel treatment for oral mucosal lesions: A systematic review

Aim: In situ gel systems present the unique property of converting from sol-gel upon biological stimulus. This study aimed to find various oral lesions treated with in situ gels and their outcome assessment. Materials and Methods: In this study, electronic and manual search was done to find the studies concerning the use of in situ gels as a single method of treatment and adjunct to oral lesions. A total of 22 articles were collected of which three clinical trials which fulfilled the inclusion criteria and published from 2011 to 2019 were included in the study. Literature review search revealed that there are no sufficient clinical trials performed on in situ gel treatment for oral lesions from 2011 to 2019. Results: The results of the study show that fluconazole can be used for oropharyngeal candidiasis, curcumin solid-lipid nanoparticle-loaded gels is more effective for oral erythroplakia, and 4% hyaluronic acid-containing topical gel formulation is effective in treating recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Quality assessment was done using Revman 5.3 for three studies, of which one study proved to have low risk of bias. Conclusion: It is concluded that using formulated in situ gels can be an alternative approach to treat various oral lesions locally by improving patient's compliance. Further clinical trials concerning efficacy of in situ gels for treating oral lesions are still required.