Honey In Prevention Of Oral Mucositis In Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective:The study aims to verify the prevention of honey on oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy in a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Methods:In this prospective randomized clinical trial,98 patients with leukemia or lymphoma undergoing chemotherapy in three tertiary general hospitals from July 2018 to March 2019,were randomly allocated into two groups:honey group(n=49)and control group(n=49),matched according to disease type and chemotherapy regimens.The control group were given conventional oral care and alkaline mouthwash,while the honey group were given honey on the surface of the oral mucosa in addition to the control group care.From the first day of chemotherapy,the incidence of oral mucositis,pain and oral mucosal discomfort were observed for 14 consecutive days,and which were compared between the two groups through the evaluation of the WHO grading standards for oral mucositis,pain score and oral mucosal discomfort score.Results:The incidence of oral mucositis was 10.2%in the honey group and 28.57%in the control group.The incidence of oral mucositis in the honey group was significantly higher than that in the control group(x2=5.288,p<0.05).The incidence of oral pain was 10.2%in the honey group and 28.57%in the control group.The incidence of oral pain in the honey group was significantly higher than that in the control group(x2=5.288,p<0.05).The incidence of oral mucosal discomfort was 16.33%in the honey group and 26.53%in the control group.There was no significant difference in the incidence of oral mucosal discomfort between the honey group and the control group(x2=1.515,p>0.05).Conclusions:Honey can reduce the incidence of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis,and has a preventive effect on chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis,as well as reduce the incidence of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis pain.However,the effect of honey on oral discomfort is not obvious.