2006 Volume 5 Issue 1 Pages 1-5
Oral mucositis is one of a common, debilitating complication of cancer chemotherapy. Mucositis causes severe pain and distress, and may limit the tolerability of chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of chlorhexidine gluconate and povidone iodine mouthwashes on oral mucositis in children receiving chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A total of 18 children age 2 to 10 years were participating in a clinical trial with pre-post test design and single blinded system. Subjects were divided into three groups, using chlorhexidine gluconate, povidone iodine, and alkaline saline as a control group, respectively. Clinical measurements to assess mucositis and pain were performed using General Mucositis Scale from WHO and Wong-Baker Faces Rating Scale, respectively. Children in all groups received daily oral hygiene instructions, and were examined daily until the mucositis heals. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Newman-Keuls methods with significance value p=0.05. The results showed that mucositis and its related pain were disappeared after 5 to 7 days, 8 to 14 days, and 13 to 14 days using chlorhexidine gluconate, povidone iodine, and alkaline saline (control), respectively. It is concluded that chlorhexidine gluconate was more effective on the healing of oral mucositis than povidone iodine.
