أثر استخدام زيت القرنفل بالضد من المحلول الملحي المتعادل في علاج التهاب الغشاء المخاطي للفم بين المرضى الخاضعين للعلاج الكيمياوي

Effect of Using Clove Oil Versus Normal Saline Solution in the Management of Oral Mucositis among Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Background: Chemotherapy is determined as the main treatment option for the management of patients with tumors. Patients receive high doses of chemotherapy experience oral mucositis. The present study aims to determine the effect of using clove oil versus normal saline solution in the management of oral mucositis among patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Methodology: A true-experimental design was carried out in Imam Al-Hussein Oncology Center and at oncology wards of Imam Al-Hassan Al-Mujtaba Teaching Hospital. A Systematic random sample consists of 30 patients were selected from patients undergoing chemotherapy and have oral mucositis. The data were collected through the interviewing technique using WHO oral toxicity scale and oral mucositis assessment tool and then analyzed by using the program of SPSS Version 25. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were used to analyze the study results.
Results: The result exposed that 40% of patients had grade II and III oral mucositis at the pre-test period, after seven days of using the clove oil the result shows that 80% of patients are at grade I oral toxicity. Significant statistical difference at p-value of 0.011, 0.042, and 0.000 were reported after seven days of intervention in the levels of oral mucositis between (clove oil and normal saline solution, clove oil and control, and normal saline solution and control) groups respectively.
Conclusions: Mouth care using clove oil gargling procedure is potent in decreasing oral mucositis grade and enhancing the comfort of patients undergoing chemotherapy and it is more effective than normal saline solution gargling procedure in minimizing the severity of oral mucositis.
Recommendations: The study recommended the necessity of using clove oil three times daily as an oral gargle because this can help reduce the overall burden of oral mucositis complications and the cost of treatment for both patients and hospital.