Adverse post‐operative events of salivary gland biopsies: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Objectives The study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the complications following major and minor salivary gland biopsy. Materials and Methods Observational studies assessing postoperative complications of minor salivary gland biopsy and indexed at Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Cinahl, LILACS, or Scopus were selected. This review was registered under the protocol number: CRD42020211169. The level of significance considered was 0.05, and the R software (The R Foundation) was used for the meta‐analysis. Results Twenty‐seven studies reporting 3208 patients were included in this review. The combined prevalence of postsurgical complications was 11% (95% CI, 8 to 13%, p = 0.01). The percentage of the combined prevalence of neurological complications was 3% (95% CI, 1–6%, p = 0.01). The surgical technique did not influence the frequency of overall and neurological complications. Conclusion Minor salivary gland biopsies are a safe and predictable procedure that should be performed on the lower lip. Postoperative complications are more common than previously reported, but permanent complaints are uncommon.