Comparison of the Effectiveness of Normal Saline and Nystatin Cocktail in Preventing Oral Mucositis in Children With Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy

Background: Oral mucositis is a painful and uncomfortable complication and affects the quality of life and tolerance of patients for continued treatment. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of this problem are important. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effect of nystatin cocktail with normal saline in the prevention of oral mucositis in children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Overall, 50 children undergoing chemotherapy were randomly divided into an experimental nystatin cocktail group and a control normal saline mouthwash group, each containing 25 patients. The patients were evaluated for 3 weeks on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21 for oral mucositis. In addition, to calculate the average oral health status, the debris score of each tooth was recorded separately according to the presence or absence of plaque and debris and its amount. Results: In total, 64%, 28%, and 8% of patients receiving normal saline had no mucositis, grade-I mucositis, and grade-II mucositis, respectively. In contrast, 60%, 32%, and 8% of patients in the nystatin group had no mucositis, grade-I mucositis, and grade-II mucositis, respectively (P=0.952). No statistically significant difference was detected in the hygiene status in terms of the plaque index (PI) among children in the two groups (P=0.896). In patients using normal saline, the mean severity of mucositis on the third and seventh days after chemotherapy was higher than children in the nystatin group (P=0.629). Conclusion: The findings showed that normal saline and nystatin cocktail were effective in preventing and reducing the oral mucositis severity in patients undergoing chemotherapy.