Lin, J.X., Fan, Z.Y., Lin, Q., Wu, D.H., Wu, X.Y., Chen, Y.R., . . . Wan, X.B. (2014). A comparison of dioctahedral smectite and iodine glycerin cream with topical mouth rinse in treatment of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis: A pilot study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing. Advance online publication.
To compare the efficacy of dioctahedral smectite and iodine glycerin (DSIG) cream to a topical mouth rinse in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis
After oral mucositis (OM) developed, patients were randomized to receive DSIG or a topical rinse solution administered by two nurses. Nurses were not blinded to the intervention. The DSIG cream consisted of 3 g of dioctahedral smectite and 10 ml of iodine glycerin. The cream was applied to oral mucosa four times per day for one hour during each application while the patient was fasting. The topical mouth solution consisted of saline 400 ml, gentamicin 640,000 u, and vitamin B12 500 mg. Patients rinsed with the solution four times per day and gargled the solution for one minute with each application. Both treatments were administered for five consecutive days. Data were collected daily once OM was identified and continued for five days.
Randomized, controlled trial
Both groups of patients had OM of similar severity on day 1 of the study. Over the five days of the study, when compared to a topical rinse solution, DSIG improved the severity of OM. Patients who received DSIG healed faster than those who received the topical rinse. DSIG is a promising treatment for chemotherapy-induced OM, and additional studies to compare DSIG to other available OM treatments and to study the efficacy of DSIG over a longer period of time are needed. Studies also are needed to determine whether DSIG has a role in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced OM.
DSIG may be a useful intervention for patients who already developed chemotherapy-induced OM. Patients who received the DSIG treatment had less severe OM than those who received a topical rinse solution, and they had a faster rate of healing and more thorough healing. Nurses can conduct physical assessments of patients to determine the extent to which OM is present and educate patients about the various options for OM treatment.