A comparative study to assess the effectiveness of curcumin, mucosamin, and chlorhexidine in chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis

Background: Oral mucositis is one of the most frequent and challenging side effects of chemotherapy. At present, none of the guidelines recommend the use of various mouthwashes available for the treatment of oral mucositis.

Methods: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin, mucosamin, and chlorhexidine in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. In this randomized and double-blind study, 71 patients over 18 years, who received chemotherapy and suffered from chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis, were randomized into curcumin, mucosamin, and chlorhexidine groups. The World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Toxicity Scale, the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS), and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) were used to evaluate oral mucositis. The main endpoint included the onset of complete recovery after starting the treatment.

Findings: Based on the WHO, OMAS for erythema, and NRS criteria, complete recovery was achieved from the third day in the curcumin group, which was significantly earlier compared to the other two groups (P < 0.05). The OMAS score for ulceration represented an improvement from day 5 in the curcumin group, which was significantly faster compared to the other two groups (P = 0.04).

Conclusions: Our results indicated that all three approaches were effective in improving oral mucositis; however, curcumin could result in faster recovery in comparison with mucosamin and chlorhexidine. The use of curcumin in the treatment of oral mucositis appears to be a viable intervention for reducing potential compromise to treatment and improving the quality of life.