Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy for the treatment of oral mucositis—A comparative study

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy in the treatment of oral mucositis. BackgroundOral Mucositis is a frequent complication of oral cavity and oropharynx cancer. Considering the OM aggravation by microorganisms contamination, disinfection provide by antimicrobial photodynamic therapy could be an effective approach. Material and MethodsThis comparative study included fourteen patients undergoing radiochemotherapy for oral cavity and oropharynx cancer treatment, who developed oral mucositis. Control group: photobiomodulation. Intervention group: photobiomodulation and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. The lesion size, duration, pain, and identification of microorganisms were evaluated. ResultsThe mean reduction in oral mucositis size in the intervention group was 0.70 cm² (±0.35) and 0.30 cm² (±1.10) for the control group. The mean duration of oral mucositis was 18.37 days (±12.12) for the intervention group and 23 days (±14.78) for the control group. The intervention group had a mean reduction of 3.40 points on the pain scale (±2.44), while the control group had 0.17 (±2.28). In the intervention group, the predominant isolated microbiota was featured as mixed culture (n = 4/ 50%), followed of Gram Positive (n = 3/ 37.50%), and Gram Negative (n = 1/ 12.55%). In the control group, mixed culture was also more frequent (n = 4 / 66%), followed by Gram Positive (n = 2 /34%). Gram Negative was not predominantly isolated in the control group. ConclusionNo statistical significance was found between PBM-T alone and PBM-T + PDT. However, the better outcomes reached by PBM-T + PDT group would suggest there could be a role for combined treatment in the management of OM lesions.