SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Oral Health
Sec. Oral Health and Nutrition
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1601530
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Efficacy of Vitamin C Mesotherapy for Gingival Hyperpigmentation
Provisionally accepted
- Shaoxing Stomatological Hospital, Shaoxing, China
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Background: Gingival hyperpigmentation is a common aesthetic concern, necessitating evidence-based evaluation of depigmentation treatments, particularly vitamin C mesotherapy. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. Data were extracted and analyzed using both random and common effects models to calculate mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed using I², tau², and Q statistics. Results: The meta-analysis, including 4 RCTs with a total of 118 participants, revealed significant effects of vitamin C mesotherapy. For VAS scores, the MD was 2.0580 [1.6161; 2.4998] (p < 0.0001), with high heterogeneity (I² = 90.6%). For GPI scores, the MD was also 2.0580 [1.6161; 2.4998] (p < 0.0001), with similar high heterogeneity. DOPI scores showed a significant decrease with mesotherapy compared to diode laser (MD = -0.7653 [-0.9207; -0.6100], p < 0.0001, I² = 0.0%), but no significant difference compared to topical gel (MD = 0.1723 [-0.1438; 0.4883], p = 0.2855, I² = 0.0%). When compared to overall laser interventions (MD = 1.7245 [1.5181; 1.9308], p < 0.0001, I² = 89.9%) and surgical interventions (MD = 2.2091 [2.0653; 2.3530], p < 0.0001, I² = 59.5%), vitamin C mesotherapy generally exhibited smaller mean differences, indicating a comparatively lesser magnitude of effect. Conclusion: Vitamin C mesotherapy demonstrates significant efficacy in reducing gingival hyperpigmentation, notably showing a favorable outcome compared to diode laser for DOPI scores and no significant difference from topical gel. However, it is revealed that both laser and surgical interventions also demonstrate significant efficacy. Notably, surgical interventions appear to be the most effective method, followed by laser treatments and vitamin C mesotherapy, based on the observed mean differences. .
Keywords: Gingival hyperpigmentation, Vitamin C Mesotherapy, Depigmentation, randomized controlled trials, Meta-analysis
Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hu, Gao, Xu and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jianying Zhao, Shaoxing Stomatological Hospital, Shaoxing, China
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