The Effect of Oral Care Using an Oral Health Care Guide on Preventing Mucositis in Pediatric Intensive Care

A Narrative Review of the Association between Dental Abnormalities and Chemotherapy

Dental abnormalities are often detected in childhood and are reported to occur with high prevalence in patients who have undergone cancer treatment or chemotherapy. We performed a literature search of PubMed from 2004 to 2024 using the terms "dental anomaly" and "panoramic examination", and 298 potentially relevant articles were found. Thirty-one articles about dental abnormalities matched the eligibility criteria and were extracted for this review. Although the prevalence of tooth agenesis and microdontia in the general population was reported to be approximately 10% and 3%, respectively, the prevalence in patients who had undergone cancer treatment or chemotherapy was higher in all surveys, suggesting that the treatment is related to the occurrence of dental abnormalities. It is important to continue long-term follow-up with patients not only during treatment but also after the completion of treatment. Dental professionals should provide information about dental abnormalities to patients, their guardians, and medical professionals, which may lead to improvement in the quality of life of patients.

Evaluation of clinical oral care outcomes according to nursing outcomes classification

PURPOSE

This research was planned to follow the healing process of the oral mucosa in patients in intensive care with an "Impaired Oral Mucous Membrane Integrity" nursing diagnosis based on the "NOC (1100) Oral Health Assessment" outcome criteria.

METHOD

This study, which was planned in a methodological and descriptive type of research, was carried out with 50 patients who were hospitalized in the intensive care clinic of a state hospital between June and December 2022, with a nursing diagnosis of "Impaired Oral Mucous Membrane Integrity." Data were collected using a Patient Information Form and the "NOC (1100) Oral Health Evaluation Scale" for the nursing outcomes classification. In the analysis of the data descriptive statistical methods, Pearson correlation test, Friedman test as well as Cohen's kappa test were used to evaluate the agreement between two independent observers.

FINDINGS

In the study, content validity index value of the NOC scale was calculated to be 0.90. The examination of the participants' mean scores on the NOC (1100) Oral Health Assessment Scale showed that there were statistically significant differences in terms of the repeated evaluations, except for the NOC indicators of "Oral mucosal integrity," "Gum integrity," and "Tooth integrity" (p < 0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between the mean NOC scale scores of the patients according to the variables of age, body mass index, mechanical ventilation time, and length of stay in the intensive care unit (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings showed that the Turkish version of NOC (1100) Oral Health Assessment Scale was a valid tool for monitoring the healing process of the oral mucosa in patients in intensive care.

IMPLICATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE

With the use of NOC (1100) Oral Health Assessment Scale, a common language will be formed in the evaluation for monitoring the healing process of the oral mucosa in nursing care.

The impact of oral health education on the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in pediatric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Oral health education is an effective measure to prevent oral mucositis (OM) by improving self-management and effectively engaging patients in their health care. This systematic review aimed to determine the impact of oral health education interventions on the incidence and severity of OM. Bibliographical searches were carried out by two independent examiners in Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Virtual Health Library, and SIGLE, until June 2022. The eligibility criteria were based on the PICO strategy, considering studies with pediatric oncology patients, aged 0 to 19 years, who had attended oral health education activities and had been examined for the incidence and/or severity of OM. Data were extracted for qualitative synthesis and organized in spreadsheets. The quality assessment of the selected studies was performed using the ROBINS-I tool. Meta-analysis was based on the group frequencies of OM ulcerative lesions, adopting a significance level of 5%. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to define the certainty of the evidence. The primary search retrieved 1827 articles. After removing duplicate records and screening titles and abstracts for eligibility, a total of 21 articles were selected for full-text analysis. Of these, seven eligible studies were included for data extraction and qualitative synthesis, while four studies were selected for quantitative synthesis. All studies had a longitudinal design; three performed a before-after comparison and four were controlled studies. OM was assessed by the following scales: OAG, WHO, ChIMES, and WCCNR. While data analysis of the selected studies was heterogeneous, the implementation of oral health education strategies was found to reduce the incidence and severity of OM during the follow-up period. The meta-analysis showed a favorable outcome for the educational intervention. The likelihood of patients attending oral health education activities to manifest OM ulcerative lesions was significantly lower (P = 0.002) than that of the control. The GRADE analysis presented a low certainty of the evidence. To conclude, oral health education interventions improved OM outcomes in pediatric oncology patients with a low quality of evidence.

Natural Products for the Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis-A Review

Cancer, a major world public health problem, is associated with chemotherapy treatments whose administration leads to secondary concerns, such as oral mucositis (OM). The OM disorder is characterized by the presence of ulcers in the oral mucosa that cause pain, bleeding, and difficulty in ingesting fluids and solids, or speaking. Bioactive compounds from natural sources have arisen as an effective approach for OM. This review aims to summarize the new potential application of different natural products in the prevention and treatment of OM in comparison to conventional ones, also providing a deep insight into the most recent clinical studies. Natural products, such as Aloe vera, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Camellia sinensis, Calendula officinalis, or honeybee crops, constitute examples of sources of bioactive compounds with pharmacological interest due to their well-reported activities (e.g., antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, or wound healing). These activities are associated with the bioactive compounds present in their matrix (such as flavonoids), which are associated with in vivo biological activities and minimal or absent toxicity. Finally, encapsulation has arisen as a future opportunity to preserve the chemical stability and the drug bioa vailability of bioactive compounds and, most importantly, to improve the buccal retention period and the therapeutic effects.

The incidence of severe oral mucositis and its occurrence sites in pediatric oncologic patients

Background

Childhood cancer is one of the main causes of child mortality and its treatment has debilitating effects on the oral cavity. Several oral mucositis (SOM) is one of the most common and may cause undesirable symptoms such as pain and risk of systemic infection.

Material and Methods

This was a longitudinal, retrospective, and observational study determining the incidence of severe oral mucositis (SOM) and its occurrence sites in pediatric oncologic patients, in João Pessoa, Brazil, between 2013 and 2018. Data from 56 patients aged 1 to 18 years were collected from their medical records and through an oral mucosa examination, from the 1st to 5th week of chemotherapy treatment (CT) using the modified Oral Assessment Guide, by previously calibrated examiners (Kappa index > 0.7). The data were analyzed by the Chi-square test, and Odds Ratios were calculated.

Results

Most patients were females (54.5%), aged 8.8 years (± 4.8), with hematologic tumors (73.2%), predominantly Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (50.0%). An increase in the occurrence of SOM was observed throughout the CT (P = 0.05), ranging from 12.5% in the 1st to 35.7% in the 5th CT week. In the 1st CT week, there was a predominance of alterations in the lips (5.5%) and saliva (5.5%), while in the 5th, the jugal / palate mucosa (21.4%) remained the most affected site by SOM. Differences in the severity of SOM in the jugal / palate mucosa (P = 0.01) and labial mucosa (P = 0.04) were observed over time. In the 5th CT week, the likelihood of developing SOM was 13.3-fold higher (95% CI: 1.5 - 105.6) in patients with hematologic tumors.

Conclusions

The incidence of SOM was higher in the 5th CT week, most commonly affecting the jugal / palate mucosa, and patients with hematologic tumors were more prone to develop SOM.

Key words:Mucositis, oncology, pediatric dentistry.

The efficacy of two different oral hygiene regimens on the incidence and severity of oral mucositis in pediatric patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A prospective interventional study

Aims

This prospective interventional study aimed to assess the efficacy of supersaturated calcium phosphate rinse and the use of an extra‐soft toothbrush twice a day when added to the existing oral hygiene protocol regimen (0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate + 3% sodium bicarbonate + nystatin 5000 U/mL) in reducing the severity of oral mucositis among pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy for the hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Methods

Forty‐five patients that received chemotherapy for the hematopoietic stem cell transplant were randomly allocated to three groups of 15 patients each. Group A was advised to follow the existing oral hygiene protocol regimen (Control), group B was advised to brush their teeth twice daily using an extra‐soft toothbrush and to follow the control regimen, and lastly group C was advised to use supersaturated calcium phosphate rinse and to follow the control regimen. Oral mucositis was recorded according to World Health Organization criteria from the day of admission (day 1) to the day of discharge (day 28). The incidence of oral mucositis between the three groups was compared using the Kruskall‐Wallis test while the severity of oral mucositis between the three groups was compared using a one‐way ANOVA test.

Results

The results of the study showed no significant difference in the incidence of oral mucositis between the three groups; however, there was a lower severity of oral mucositis in the supersaturated calcium phosphate rinse group when compared to the control group or the group who used an extra‐soft toothbrush with the control regimen.

Conclusion

Although marginally fewer cases and lower severity of oral mucositis was observed in the group using supersaturated calcium phosphate rinse, the lack of statistical significance suggests that the evidence for their use is not conclusive. The results of this study also showed that the introduction of an extra‐soft toothbrush into the oral hygiene regimen did not significantly reduce the incidence of oral mucositis and may actually be responsible for an increase in the severity of oral mucositis.

The Relationship of Oral Care Practice at Home with Mucositis Incidence in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Mucositis is a common and devastating side effect of chemotherapeutic agents in children undergoing chemotherapy. The prevention and management of mucositis are necessary to improve these children's quality of life. Oral care is a recommended strategy for preventing and managing oral mucositis. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify the relationship between oral care practice and mucositis incidence. A cross-sectional analytical design was used in this study. A total of 34 children from 3 to 12 years of age with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who were in the last cycle of chemotherapy were recruited through a snowball sampling method. The Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) was administered to assess the severity of mucositis. A majority of the participants (51.5%) had mucositis after completing the last cycle of chemotherapy. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant relationship between their oral care practice at home and mucositis incidence. These results show that oral care at home is linked with the incidence and severity of mucositis. Nurses should educate children with leukemia and their parents regarding good oral hygiene practice.

An exploration of student nurses' views of oral health care in the hospitalised child: A qualitative study

Hospitalization impacts negatively on oral health, where underlying medical conditions and interventions such as oxygen therapy and nil-by-mouth status increase susceptibility to complications. However, evidence suggests it is often overlooked, or viewed as low priority by nurses. The rationale for these beliefs is unclear. This study provides an exploration of these beliefs, focusing specifically on their development, as reflected in the experiences of adult and paediatric student nurses. Three focus groups were conducted, and thematic analysis applied. Whilst students theoretically understood the value of oral health care, in hospital it was overlooked, with other 'clinical' aspects of care valued more highly. 'Hierarchy of need' emerged as the over-arching theme. Interrelated sub-themes included: 'practice/theory mismatch,' highlighting lack of education and adequacy of exposure to oral health care encounters; 'resources,' where infrastructure was lacking; and 'disempowerment,' where students felt powerless to act. Exposure to oral health care encounters were less frequent in the paediatric setting, risking disempowerment of parents as well as students. These findings highlight the need to raise the profile of oral health care, both theoretically and practically, engendering a culture that embeds mouth care unobtrusively into day-to-day nursing practice, improving health care outcomes for those in our care.

Oral Mucositis in Pediatric Patients in Treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Oral mucositis in oncologic patients is the most undesirable event of the chemotherapeutic treatment. This study aimed to identify damage to the oral cavity resulting from chemotherapy in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This is a prospective study with a sample of 42 children and adolescents evaluated for 10 consecutive weeks after diagnosis. The modified Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) was used, and data were analyzed by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (α = 5%). Changes to the normal lips and saliva were positively related to an increase in the OAG score during all 10 weeks of evaluation. Alterations to the labial mucosa were correlated with an increase in the OAG score from the 2nd to 10th week, which was also found for changes in the tongue and in the swallowing function in Weeks 1, 6, 8, 9, and 10 and for gum changes from the 5th to 7th week. No significant vocal changes were correlated with the total OAG score at any point during the monitoring period. Changes in lips, cheek and/or palatal mucosa, labial mucosa, and gum areas and in swallowing function were positively correlated with an increase in the severity of oral mucositis in patients with ALL after beginning chemotherapeutic treatment.