Effect of honey-ginger mouthwash on oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy

Abstract

Background: Oral mucositis is considered as one of the most prevalent complications of chemotherapy or radiation therapy in cancerous tumors, which can interrupt the patient's treatment and nutrition. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ginger-honey mouthwash on the prevention of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in patients suffering from various cancers.

Materials and methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, 70 patients receiving chemotherapy were divided into case and control groups. The former group (n = 34) received natural honey-ginger mouthwash and the latter (n = 36) used normal saline for 14 days. The presence and severity of oral mucositis, pain intensity, and other related characteristics were evaluated based on a two-part questionnaire (demographic and clinical information) and a checklist prepared from the protocols of the World Health Organization in each group.

Results: During a 14-day intervention, patients received a 7-day intervention with ginger-honey mouthwash revealed a significant reduction in the mean severity of oral mucositis compared to the control group (p = 0.03). However, a 14-day intervention with ginger-honey mouthwash indicated no significant impact on the mean severity of oral mucositis (p = 0.6). In addition, no significant difference was observed in pain intensity between case and control groups during these 14 days.

Conclusions: This study suggests that a seven-day intervention with ginger-honey mouthwash has a beneficial effect on reducing the severity of mucositis in patients under chemotherapy, unlike a 14-day intervention. The honey-ginger mouthwash fails to have a significant effect on the pain intensity due to mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Keywords: Oral mucositis; cancer; chemotherapy; honey-ginger mouthwash.