Objective To explore the effectiveness and safety of topical phenytoin for wound healing. Methods We searched MEDLINE (1966 to Oct. 2002), EMBASE (1984 to 2002), The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2002), Biological Abstracts (1993 to 1996), Cancerlit (1997 to Sept. 2002), Life Science Collection (1982 to Mar. 1995), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970 to 2002), and CBMdisc (1978 to Jan. 2003). Controlled trials on topical phenytoin for wound healing were identified. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed, and a descriptive analysis was performed. Results Nine studies (507 cases) including 1 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 8 non-randomized controlled trials were included. These studies were of poor methodological quality. Because there were a variety of etiology of ulcers, differnet interventions in control groups, and different outcome measures, for which meta-analysis was difficult to perform, a descriptive analysis of the results was presented. Most studies showed that topical phenytoin had better effects on improving healthy granulation appearance, increasing complete recovery rate, reducing time for complete recovery, and positive cases of bacterial culture than those of control groups. Mild side effects were observed in only one study.Conclusions The reviewers think that the inclusion studies less rigorous than randomized controlled trials could result in misleading findings.Some well designed randomized controlled trials of topical phenytoin for wound healing are warranted.