Abstract
Chemotherapy often presents side effects, including oral adverse effects that may interfere with the completion of the oncology treatment, threatening the outcome of the treatment and significantly affecting the quality of life of the patient. The aim of the present study was to evaluate two antiseptic, antimicrobial and antifungal substances that may be used in order to achieve improved oral hygiene and to lower the prevalence of side effects during chemotherapy. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: Placebo, oral rinse with cetrimide and mouth coating with a pharmacy-made compound (nystatin, neomycin and metronidazole). Their oral hygiene and periodontal parameters were determined at baseline and 14 days of use. It was revealed that the most effective clinical results were achieved in the group that used cetrimide mouth rinse that highlighted the best improvements of parameter values, whereas the control and coating-using group did not obtain statistically significant improvements. Cetrimide oral rinse was demonstrated to be an efficient adjunct method in achieving better oral hygiene and improved periodontal parameters in chemotherapy patients. The present study offers an alternative to the commonly used compounds that may present unwanted side effects in patients during chemotherapy, it promotes the importance of good oral hygiene in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced oral adverse effects and improves the quality of life of the patient.