Evaluation of the Impact of Oral Hygiene and Chamomile Tea in the Development of Oral Mucositis: Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: The oral mucositis (OM) represents a frequent inflammatory condition in cancer patients, and poor oral hygiene has been related as a predisposing factor for its onset. Chamomile tea has been studied as an adjunctive therapy in the management of OM due to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of chamomile tea associated with a rigorous oral hygiene in the OM prevention. Method: Randomized pilot clinical study, with 35 patients assigned to two groups. The case-group underwent oral hygiene control associated with the use of chamomile tea before starting the first cycle of chemotherapy, while the control group, there were no previous guidelines and prescriptions. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, the type of neoplasm and the chemotherapy scheme proposed were collected. The variables OM, salivary flow and pain associated to the oral cavity were evaluated, and statistical analysis was performed with significance level p <0.05. Results: It was observed that the majority of the patients had a mean age of 50 years, breast (57%) was the most prevalent tumor site and cyclophosphamide (52%), the most frequently used drug In this sample, no statistically significant result was observed in the two groups for OM, salivary flow and pain variables (p> 0.05). Conclusion: These data suggest that the use of chamomile tea and the accuracy of oral hygiene were not sufficient to prevent OM.