The effect of topical chamomile in the prevention of chemotherapy‐induced oral mucositis: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective To clinically assess the effectiveness of topical chamomile oral gel in the prevention of chemotherapy‐induced oral mucositis. Material and methods A parallel single‐blind randomized clinical trial conducted on 45 patients who were undergoing chemotherapy. Patients were assigned to three equal groups. Group I received conventional symptomatic treatment that included antifungal agents (Miconaz oral gel, Medical Union Pharmaceuticals), topical anesthetics, and anti‐inflammatory agent (BBC oral spray, Amoun Pharmaceutical Company) three times per day for three weeks, group II received 3% chamomile topical oral gel, whereas group III patients were given both conventional symptomatic treatment and chamomile topical oral gel. All patients were clinically assessed for pain and oral mucositis severity at three separate time intervals: 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks. Results Most patients experienced oral mucositis with more severity reported in the conventional group (grade III = 6.7%) compared to the other two groups, neither of which developed more than grade II. Mean pain scores showed no significant difference between the groups, but intragroup analysis showed that pain score increased in the conventional treatment group more than the other two groups. Conclusion Topical chamomile 3% gel has demonstrated in this study to lower the severity of the mucositis with lower pain scores compared to the other two groups.

Effect of Chamomile on the Complications of Cancer: A Systematic Review

“…In general, evidence from 7 studies 35 , 36 , 38 , 42 , 45 , 47 , 50 showed that chamomile use with the mentioned concentrations and durations can reduce oral mucositis in cancer patients. Only one study 52 reported no effect of chamomile on oral mucositis.…”

“…All studies were published in English from 1991 to 2022. Seven studies were from Brazil, 35 - 41 6 from Iran, 42 - 47 2 from United Kingdom, 48 , 49 1 from Egypt, 50 1 from Finland, 51 and 1 from United States, 52 Regarding methodology, 15 studies were RCTs 35 - 37 ,39,41, 43 - 52 3 were non-RCT. 38 , 40 , 42 …”

Letter to the Editor

“…Dear Editor, I read with great interest the article by Elhadad MA et al, "The effect of topical chamomile in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis: A randomized clinical trial" (Elhadad et al, 2022). I appreciate the efforts of the authors in clarifying the topical chamomile efficacy of the prevention of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in cancer patients.…”

The chromatographic constitution of andiroba oil and his healing effects, compared to the LLLT outcomes, in oral mucositis induced in golden Syrian hamsters: a new treatment option

“…The use of phytotherapy shows satisfactory results in OM treatments, such as: chamomile [13][14][15], bilberry extract [16], Hydroalcoholic extract of Carumcarvi L [17], propolis [18] and eucalyptus hydroalcoholic extract [19]. Even though that herbal medicine is a very ancient practice, the studies related to the medical use of plants and its acceptance became more popular in the last years [20].…”