OBJECTIVETo collect evidence in diagnosis and treatment of oral mucosal diseases.

METHODSThe Cochrane library (Issue 3, 2009) was searched to get the full texts of published related Cochrane systematic reviews. The results were summarized for recommendation to dentists. The current status of evidence based medicine in this field was analyzed.

RESULTSReliable evidence for management of oral submucous fibrosis is still limited; amifostine, hydrolytic enzymes, ice chips and Chinese medicine may be effective in preventing oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy; the evidence in treating oral mucositis with allopurinol mouthwash, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, immunoglobulin or human placentral extract for patients with cancer receiving treatment is weak and unreliable yet; there is evidence that acyclovir is efficacious in prevention and treatment of herpes simplex virus infections in patients being treated for cancer; there is strong evidence that drugs absorbed or partially absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract prevent oral candidiasis in patients receiving treatment for cancer; relapses and adverse effects are common in using beta carotene, lycopene, vitamin A or retinoids to treat oral leukoplakia; only some weak evidence is provided in using cyclosporines, retinoids, steroids or phototherapy for treating oral lichen planus; the evidence about acyclovir for treating primary herpetic gingivostomatitis is insufficient; there is little research evidence for treatment of burning mouth syndrome.

CONCLUSIONIt is essential to raise the quality of design and conduction of clinical trials in the field of oral mucosal disease to provide solid bases for systematic review, so that to improve evidence based treatment of these diseases.