Assessment of the effect of honey and chlorhexidine on radiation-induced oral stomatitis with head-and-neck cancer patients

Abstract

Background and Aim: Stomatitis being one of the most common oral complications of radiotherapy increases the mortality rates in patients with head and neck cancer. Providing preventive measures and cure for these side effects right after their onset is of primary importance. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of honey on radiation induced stomatitis in head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with head-and-neck cancer requiring radiation or radiation combined with chemotherapy were divided into two groups. Patients of Group 1 were advised to mix 3 mL of chlorhexidine in 100 mL of water and rinse for about 1 min. Patients of Group 2 were advised to take 20 mL of honey in a glass of water and divide it into two equal parts and then rinse each part for about 30 s. Patients were evaluated at baseline, week 1, and week 2 for the development of radiation-induced stomatitis using the WHO Mucositis Scale. Results: The grade of stomatitis in head-and-neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, treated with honey, was significantly lower than those treated with chlorhexidine (P < 0.05 for each). Conclusions: Topical application of honey is a simple and cost-effective treatment in radiation-induced stomatitis which needs further multicenter randomized trials to validate our finding. The results of the present study conducted on head-and-neck cancer patients will be useful in the administration of oral care. These findings are also important to the nurses who are assigned with the responsibility of stomatitis management.