Comparative Efficacy of Cryosurgery Versus Alternative Techniques for Intraoral Depigmentation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Publisher Pubmed

Summary: Cryosurgery vs. laser for gingival pigmentation: can one be better? A review found laser and blade techniques outperformed cryotherapy in effectiveness. More research needed! #GingivalHealth #DentalResearch

Shirazian S ; Vatanpour M ; Tahmasebinasab M
Source: Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research Published:2026

Abstract

Various factors influence the color of the gingiva, and physiological gingiva pigmentation can affect self-image without causing systemic issues. This study aimed to systematically review all articles that compare the effectiveness of cryosurgery with other techniques, such as laser, abrasion, and blade, in treating physiological gingival pigmentation. This systematic review included all clinical trials that met these criteria: All human studies, including randomized controlled (RCTs) and non-randomized CT. Studies specifically focusing on intraoral depigmentation. Articles with full-text availability. The search was carried out in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (ISI), Embase, and Google Scholar without language limitation up to 2023. Two independent researchers did a quality assessment of the articles by the Cochrane Quality Assessment Tool. Risk of Bias assessment was carried out by ROB2 and ROBINS-I. The Random model was used for meta-analysis (using CAM2 software). From 1853 articles found in the initial search, 6 studies entered the data extraction phase. The six studies compared cryosurgery with laser, blade, and abrasion methods for gingival depigmentation. Statistical analysis showed that laser and scalpel treatments had better therapeutic outcomes than cryotherapy (p = 0.004). The subject of investigation exhibits numerous variations, necessitating further research to attain results with a high level of evidence. However, preliminary findings indicate that the scalpel depigmentation, abrasion, and laser treatment demonstrate greater efficacy than cryosurgery. Trial Registration: PROSPERO number: CRD42023434081. © 2026 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.