Evaluation of the effectiveness of olive oil to prevent chemotherapy induced oral mucositis: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of topical application of olive oil either to delay chemotherapy induced oral mucositis (OM) or to alleviate its severity in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia children. Materials and methodsa randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at Hematology-Oncology Department of Children's Hospital of Damascus University, Syria. 24 children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia aged between 4 and 6 years old were randomly assigned into two groups, olive oil and sodium bicarbonate 5% (12 in each group).Preventive protocol started two days before the induction of chemotherapeutic drugs. Topical application was done by a sterilized spongeous stick in order to swab tongue, buccal mucosa, floor of the mouth, lips and hard palate, as those tissues of the mouth are susceptible to chemotherapy induced OM [1]. The study period was within induction and consolidation phases of chemotherapy. Oral mucosa was assessed weekly up to eight weeks by two external investigators using the World Health Organization grading scale. ResultsData was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. Based on the observed results, (OM) grades were with less severity in olive oil group than in sodium bicarbonate group with statistically significant difference reported from the 2 nd week of study phase. In addition, Mann-Whitney U test demonstrated that patients in olive oil group started (OM) later than those in sodium bicarbonate group with statistically significant difference (p = 0.022). As a result, olive oil retarded the beginning of oral mucositis (OM) compared with sodium bicarbonate. Conclusionsolive oil can be used topically on oral tissues to prevent chemotherapy induced (OM) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia children.