Oral Care With Propolis in Pediatric Oncology Patients

According to the data from the World Health Organization, approximately 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year, and this number is expected to increase further in the next 10 years. Multidisciplinary treatment consisting of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery is applied in childhood cancers. In chemotherapy, the target is cancerous cells, but high doses of chemotherapeutic agents do not have selectivity. Intact tissue cells are also affected by this cytotoxicity. Mucositis develops in the patient, especially as a result of the mucosal cells being affected. Mucositis is defined as damage to the mucosa lining the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus and gastrointestinal tract due to cancer treatment. It is one of the most important side effects of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This study is carried out to determine the effectiveness of propolis in preventing the formation of oral mucositis due to multiple use of chemotherapeutic drugs.