Efficacy of photodynamic therapy on the treatment of herpes labialis: A systematic review

Objective: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of PDT in the management of recurrent herpes labialis (RHL). Study design: systematic review. Methods: This study was reported according to the PRISMA checklist and we performed a literature search on five databases. Results: The search revealed that there are no published clinical trials addressing PDT on RHL, therefore we conducted a review of case reports and five studies were included for qualitative review. The number of treated patients varied from 2 to 6 in each article. Most studies used methylene blue as a photosensitizer, while one used 5-aminolevulinic acid. For light irradiation, most studies used laser and one used a red light from halogen lamp. Patients follow-up varied from 24 h to 12 months. All articles reported good outcomes with resolution of disease and no recurrences. Only one study reported adverse effects during treatment (burning and pain). Conclusion: The results of this review suggest that PDT could be an effective treatment for herpes labialis. However, due to very few case reports and heterogeneity among protocols, there is a call for well-designed randomized clinical trials to confirm the efficacy of this therapy and to establish standardized protocols.