ObjectivesTo systematically review the efficacy of dyclonine and lidocaine for preparation before gastroscopy.MethodsPubMed, CNKI, CBM, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of dyclonine vs. lidocaine for preparation before gastroscopy from inception to December 31st, 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 11 RCTs were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: dyclonine could improve anesthetic effect (RR=1.38, 95%CI 1.31 to 1.47, P<0.000 01), and was more capable to remove bubble (RR=1.40, 95%CI 1.28 to 1.52,P<0.000 01), and had superior textures (RR=1.43, 95%CI 1.18 to 1.74,P=0.000 3).ConclusionsOral dyclonine can improve the visual definition of gastric mucosa and anesthetic effect, and has superior textures. Thus, dyclonine can be regarded as a recommended option prior to gastroscopy. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.