BET 2: Does topical lidocaine improve oral intake in children with painful mouth ulcers?

A shortcut review was carried out to establish whether topical lidocaine was effective at reducing pain and improving oral intake in children with painful oral lesions. 34 papers were found using the reported searches, of which two presented the best available evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these two papers are tabulated. It is concluded that in otherwise healthy paediatric patients with painful oral ulcers, treatment with viscous lidocaine does not improve oral intake, although it may provide some pain relief.