ReviewSaudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society2017
The therapeutic usage of botulinum toxin (Botox) in non-cosmetic head and neck conditions - An evidence based review.
Review in Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 64 citations in OpenAlex.
- Botulinum Toxin A Myths, Evidence, and Global Media Narratives.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Review
- Review
- Melasma Management: A Comprehensive Review of Treatment Strategies Including BTX-A.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Review
- Chemical Denervation to Relieve Symptoms in Jugular Venous Compression Syndrome: A Case Report.Case reports in vascular medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Review
- Research progress in spasmodic torticollis rehabilitation treatment.World journal of clinical cases · 2024Review
- Review
- Botox and Dermal Fillers in Orthodontics - A Review.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2022Review
- The Effect of Turbinate Injection of Botulinum Toxin A on the Symptoms of Idiopathic Rhinitis.International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2022Article
- European clinical guidelines for Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders-version 2.0. Part III: pharmacological treatment.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2022Review
- Clinical Observation of Botulinum Toxin Injection in the Treatment of Focal Dystonia and Muscle Spasm.BioMed research international · 2022Article
- Physicians' Practice of the Non-Cosmetic Uses of Botulinum Toxin: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia.Cureus · 2022Article
- Effects of ultrasound-assisted botulinum neurotoxin-A injection in patients with bruxism and masseter hypertrophy.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2021Article
- A Review of Complications Due to the Use of Botulinum Toxin A for Cosmetic Indications.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2021Review
- Toxic potential of botulinum toxin type A on senescence in aToxicology reports · 2021Article
- Botulinum toxin (Botox) A for reducing the appearance of facial wrinkles: a literature review of clinical use and pharmacological aspect.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2019Article
- Persistent Facial Blanching after Botulinum Toxin Injection.Case reports in dermatologyArticle
- Botulinum Toxin Application in Facial Esthetics and Recent Treatment Indications (2013-2018).Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community DentistryReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Botulinum toxin (Botox) is an exotoxin produced from Clostridium botulinum. It blocks the release of acetylcholine from the cholinergic nerve end plates resulting in inactivity of the muscles or glands innervated. The efficacy of Botox in facial aesthetics is well established; however, recent literature has highlighted its utilization in multiple non-cosmetic medical and surgical conditions. The present article reviews the current evidence pertaining to Botox use in the non-cosmetic head and neck conditions. A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science and the Cochrane databases limited to English Language articles published from January 1980 to December 2014. The findings showed that there is level 1 evidence supporting the efficacy of Botox in the treatment of laryngeal dystonia, headache, cervical dystonia, masticatory myalgia, sialorrhoea, temporomandibular joint disorders, bruxism, blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm and rhinitis. For chronic neck pain there is level 1 evidence to show that Botox is ineffective. Level 2 evidence exists for vocal tics and trigeminal. For stuttering, facial nerve paresis, Frey's syndrome and oromandibular dystonia the evidence is level 4. Thus, there is compelling evidence in the published literature to demonstrate the beneficial role of Botox in a wide range of non-cosmetic conditions pertaining to the head and neck (mainly level 1 evidence). With more and more research, the range of clinical applications and number of individuals getting Botox will doubtlessly increase. Botox appears to justify its title as 'the poison that heals'.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.