Author Affiliations: Krupanidhi College of Nursing (Dr Thomas), Bangalore; Chitkara School of Health Sciences, Chitkara University (Dr Kang), Punjab; and Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (Dr Rishi), Bangalore, India.
Cancer Nurs. 2023;46(1):36-44. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001149. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
Oral mucositis is the most severe and debilitating adverse effect of cancer treatment, resulting in inadequate nutritional intake, treatment disruptions, and dose alteration, leading to increased hospital costs and decreased tumor control.
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of turmeric mouthwash on oral health status and onset and severity of treatment-induced oral mucositis and associated oral dysfunctions among head and neck cancer patients.
A randomized controlled design was adopted (CTRI/2018/06/014367). Turmeric mouthwash was administered to the experimental group (n = 46) and benzydamine mouthwash was given to the control group (n = 46). Oral health status and mucositis were graded using the Oral Health Assessment Tool and the World Health Organization oral toxicity criteria, respectively. Oral dysfunctions were measured by a patient-reported oral mucositis symptom scale and xerostomia short-form inventory. All outcome variables were measured weekly during the entire course of radiation therapy.
Both groups were comparable with regard to their demographic and outcome variables ( P > .05). The incidence of intolerable mucositis in the control group was 100% compared with 17.8% in the experimental group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences in the onset and severity of oral mucositis ( P = .001), oral health status ( P = .001), and oral dysfunctions ( P = .001) between the experimental and control groups.
Turmeric mouthwash was effective in reducing the severity of oral mucositis and associated oral dysfunctions as compared with benzydamine mouthwash.
Use of turmeric, a nontoxic and cost-effective intervention, can be an alternative to the traditional management of oral mucositis.
口腔黏膜炎是癌症治疗最严重和使人虚弱的不良反应，导致营养摄入不足、治疗中断和剂量改变，从而增加医院成本和降低肿瘤控制率。
本研究旨在确定姜黄漱口水对头颈癌患者口腔健康状况以及治疗引起的口腔黏膜炎和相关口腔功能障碍的发生和严重程度的影响。
采用随机对照设计（CTRI/2018/06/014367）。实验组（n=46）给予姜黄漱口水，对照组（n=46）给予苯扎氯铵漱口水。使用口腔健康评估工具和世界卫生组织口腔毒性标准分别对口腔健康状况和黏膜炎进行分级。使用患者报告的口腔黏膜炎症状量表和口干短表评估口腔功能障碍。在整个放射治疗过程中，每周测量所有结局变量。
两组在人口统计学和结局变量方面具有可比性（P>.05）。对照组不可耐受黏膜炎的发生率为 100%，而实验组为 17.8%。重复测量方差分析显示，实验组和对照组在口腔黏膜炎的发生和严重程度（P=.001）、口腔健康状况（P=.001）和口腔功能障碍（P=.001）方面存在显著差异。
与苯扎氯铵漱口水相比，姜黄漱口水可有效减轻口腔黏膜炎的严重程度和相关口腔功能障碍。
使用姜黄这种无毒且具有成本效益的干预措施，可以替代传统的口腔黏膜炎管理方法。
