effect of green tea mouthwash on chemotherapy - induced oral mucositis in cancer patients

Oral mucositis presents a significant challenge for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. mouth rinses such as normal saline or sodium bicarbonate solutions are commonly used to enhance oral health, and various treatment strategies are employed to manage oral mucositis during chemotherapy. therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of green tea mouthwash in preventing and treating oral mucositis in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. a true experimental research design was utilized. thirty participants meeting the inclusion criteria were selected using simple random sampling and were assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). demographic and clinical variables were assessed, followed by a pre-test assessment of oral mucositis using the oral mucositis assessment scale for both groups. the experimental group received 5% solution of green tea mouthwash, while the control group received a sterile water mouthwash. a post-test assessment was conducted for both groups using the same tool at the end of the 14-day intervention. out of 15 participants in the experimental group in the pre-test, 7 participants (46.67%) had lesions smaller than 1 cm², 5 (33.3%) had no lesions, and 2 (13.3%) had lesions sized 1 &- 3 cm². in the control group, 6 (40%) had lesions smaller than 1 cm², and 1 (6.6%) had a lesion larger than 3 cm². the pre-test revealed that in the experimental group, 1 participant (6.67%) had severe erythema, 8 (53.3%) had mild erythema, and 6 (40%) had no erythema; in the control group, 4 (26.67%) had severe erythema, and 10 (66.6%) had mild erythema. a paired t-test revealed a significant change in ulceration and erythema in the experimental group after the intervention (p<0.001). a significant difference was also found between the experimental and control groups (p<0.001). the findings of this study suggest that administering green tea mouthwash to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is an effective method to prevent and treat oral mucositis.