Effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate and zinc chloride mouthwashes in the treatment of oral mucositis and quality of life in patients with cancer under chemotherapy.
Fateme Mohammadi, Khodayar Oshvandi, Seyed Ramesh Kamallan and 6 others
PMID 35170247WHAT IT FOUND
Zinc chloride and sodium bicarbonate mouthwashes reduced oral mucositis and improved quality of life over placebo by week 3 in chemotherapy patients.
Zinc chloride performed better than sodium bicarbonate.
Key findings
01Oral mucositis severity decreased in the sodium bicarbonate and zinc chloride groups from the end of the first week until the third week (p < .001).
02At the end of the third week, the groups differed significantly (p < .001), and zinc chloride performed better than sodium bicarbonate.
03Quality of life differed significantly among the three groups at the end of the third week (p < .001).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The authors describe the sample size as small. The study was conducted in one oncology clinic in western Iran. It included only patients receiving first-time 3 plus 7 chemotherapy, so it may not apply to other cancer treatments or patients who have had chemotherapy before. Three patients in the placebo group left the study during the first week. All groups received routine oral care education, so improvement in the mouthwash groups cannot be separated from that education. The study evaluated only oral mucositis, not mucositis in other mucous membranes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the mouthwash alone caused all improvement. Every patient also received routine oral care education and the same chemotherapy, and the trial was single centre with a sample the authors describe as small.