The Effects of Hyaluronic Acid Gel on Oral Mucositis in Children Receiving Chemotherapy

Abstract

Aim Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect of systemic chemotherapy (CT) in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hyaluronic acid (HA) gel on OM in children receiving CT. Material and method A total of 40 pediatric patients aged between 3 and 18 years who were diagnosed with leukemia and treated with CT in the inpatient setting were included. The patients were randomly divided into groups. The HA group (n=20) received HA gel and the control group (n=20) received sodium bicarbonate. The grade of OM was evaluated based on the World Health Organization Common Toxicity Criteria Scale. The pain severity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results Of the patients, 21 (52.5%) were girls and 19 (47.5%) were boys. The mean age was 9.37±5.11 (range, 3 to 18) years. The majority of the patients (77.5%) had a diagnosis of pro-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of OM lesions and VAS scores between the groups (p>0.05). Conclusion The study results show that both standard oral care with sodium bicarbonate and HA gel have similar effects on pain relief and regression of OM in pediatric cancer patients undergoing CT. The HA gel is a feasible alternative for the pediatric population.

Keywords

• Chemotherapy
• Childhood leukemia
• Hyaluronic acid gel
• Oral mucositis
• Pediatrics

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