Effectiveness of Treatments for Oral Mucositis in Pediatric Cancer Patients

Authors

Keywords:

mucositis, treatment, pediatric patients, cancer.

Abstract

Introduction: Treatments used against cancer, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, bring with them complications, among which oral mucositis is one of them.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of different treatment alternatives in order to reduce the degree of severity and pain of oral mucositis in pediatric cancer patients.

Methods: A systematic review was carried out, in which literature was searched in the electronic databases Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library and Scopus. Randomized clinical trials were considered within the inclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed with the respective narrative analysis and risk of bias assessment of each included article.

Results: A total of 391 records were identified. Twelve articles were selected according to the eligibility criteria. The total number of participants was 582. The primary outcome in the assessment of effectiveness was pain and severity. It was observed that palifermin (p = 0.00), chlorhexidine (p < 0.05) and honey (p = 0.02) showed significant differences in severity reduction when compared to a placebo, benzydamine and a control group, such as benzocaine, respectively. Similarly, chlorhexidine (p = 0.05), Mucosyte rinse (p = 0.002), and Manuka honey (p = 0.002) aided in pain relief when compared with benzydamine, a placebo, or a control group, such as sodium bicarbonate, respectively.

Conclusions: Different pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies offer options to prevent and treat oral mucositis that may even be natural and inexpensive for patients. However, the results should be reviewed with caution, as further research with larger sample size is needed to determine the best option in pediatric cancer patients.

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Published

2024-10-24

How to Cite

1.
Bravo Davila LS, Muñoz Muñoz AS, Montenegro Otero YL, Moreno Drada JA. Effectiveness of Treatments for Oral Mucositis in Pediatric Cancer Patients. Rev Cubana Estomatol [Internet]. 2024 Oct. 24 [cited 2025 Apr. 3];61:e4900. Available from: https://revestomatologia.sld.cu/index.php/est/article/view/4900

Issue

Vol. 61 (2024)

Section

Review Article

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