Oral care intervention to alleviate chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in children with cancer

Treatment for childhood cancer has improved markedly in recent years. However, oral mucositis associated with high-dose and combination chemotherapy remains a common and extremely challenging childhood cancer treatment-related complication for oncology health professionals to manage.;The overall aim of these studies was to determine an effective regimen for oral care that would enable effective prevention and amelioration of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. The first study was focused on determining the clinical benefits of an oral care protocol for the prevention and reduction of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in children with cancer. The oral care protocol consisted of tooth brushing, 0.2% w/v (weight by volume) chlorhexidine gluconate mouthrinse and normal saline solution. The second study was designed to compare the efficacy of 0.2% w/v chlorhexidine gluconate and 0.15% w/v benzydamine hydrochloride, as a supplemental antimicrobial oral rinse agent in an oral care protocol for alleviating chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis for children with cancer.;In the first study 38.00% reduction in the incidence of ulcerative mucositis was found in children using the oral care protocol compared with children in the control group. The results also indicated that the severity of oral mucositis (p < 0.001) and the intensity of oral pain (p < 0.001) were significantly reduced for the oral care protocol group. The second study results indicated significant reduction of oral ulcerative lesions and the severity of oral mucositis (ps < 0.05) in children using the oral care protocol containing chlorhexidine compared with protocol containing benzydamine.;The main findings of significant differences in the incidence and severity of oral mucositis for pediatric patients receiving the oral care protocol in these studies were discussed in relationship to previous findings and in the context of oral care studies. The implications of the findings for nursing practice highlight the contribution oncology nurses can make to the clinical management of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis of pediatric patients and the importance of further refinement of oral care protocol in future nursing research. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).