The role of basic oral care and good clinical practice principles in the management of oral mucositis

Abstract

Although research remains scanty for components of basic oral care, bland rinses, protocols, and education, the original 2004 guidelines with the help of newer literature from 2000 to 2005 and expert consensus among the Guidelines Panel enabled the development of useful clinical practice guidelines for managing oral mucositis in patients receiving cancer treatment with radiation and/or chemotherapy.

Systematic review of basic oral care for the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients

“…The importance of keeping the oral cavity clean, moist, and free of trauma in patients undergoing cancer treatment cannot be overemphasized. In addition, collaborating best practices with an institutional quality improvement process is essential, beginning with an assessment of status prior to initiation of formalized basic oral care practices, and followed by ongoing monitoring of both positive and negative outcomes [46,48,58]. Finally, an essential component of any implementation effort is education of health care professionals, patients, and families [7,16,48,58].…”

“…Finally, some of the oral rinses known to have specific biological activity, such as the antimicrobial property of chlorhexidine, do not affect the primary pathways involved in mucositis pathogenesis. Nonetheless, basic oral care is considered a mainstay of supportive care in patients receiving cancer treatment [38,46,58].…”

“…Basic oral care was the subject of one of these papers, describing the work of one of the eight subcommittees functioning within the Mucositis Study Group guidelines panel [46]. The interdisciplinary group (nursing, dentistry, and pediatric dentistry) reviewed literature on basic oral care, bland rinses, oral care protocols and education, and "good clinical practices" such as pain management, oral assessment, oral care, and dental care.…”

Individualized pharmacological treatment of oral mucositis pain in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy

“…Frequent basic oral care is considered to reduce duration and severity of OM [12,14,29,30]. The use of current clinical guidelines facilitates structured care [14,29].…”

“…The use of current clinical guidelines facilitates structured care [14,29]. Nursing support and frequent patient self-care contribute to reduced duration and severity of OM pain [30].…”