efficacy of mucosamin spray as an adjunct for prevention of oral mucositis in children under chemotherapy: a two-center randomized clinical trial

Statement of the problem: chemotherapy-induced mucositis is the most common complication during cancer treatment. this complication can lead to pain, increased risk of infection and malnutrition. therefore, it is important to find a solution to reduce the severity and duration of side effects.purpose: this study aimed to assess the efficacy of mucosamin spray as an adjunct for prevention of oral mucositis in children under chemotherapy.materials and method: this parallel-design clinical trial evaluated 48 patients aged 5 to 15 years with leukemia and lymphoma presenting to the hematology department of mofid and mahak hospitals. the patients were randomly divided into two groups (n=24). before starting chemotherapy, all patients received oral hygiene instructions (toothbrushing without flossing). patients in both groups were requested to use a mouthwash composed of nystatin, aluminum-magnesium hydroxide suspension (aluminum mgs), and diphenhydramine for 1 min every morning on a daily basis starting the day before treatment. patients in the intervention group were also requested to spray their entire oral mucosa with mucosamin spray 3 times a day in addition to using the mouthwash. patients were requested to refrain from eating and drinking for 1h after spraying. the patients were clinically examined by a senior dental student once every other day for 20 days regarding the occurrence, severity, and duration of oral mucositis. data were analyzed using the chi-square and mann-whitney tests, kaplan-meier survival analysis, and log rank test.results: no significant difference was noted between the two groups in the incidence, severity, or time of development of mucositis (p> 0.05). the 7-day non-recovery percentage was 72.7% (se= 13.4) and 25.0% (se= 15.3) in the control and test groups, respectively, indicating shorter duration (faster healing) of mucositis in the intervention group (p= 0.01).conclusion: within the limitations of this study, it seems that prophylactic application of mucosamin spray can shorten the course of oral mucositis, in case of its occurrence.