What is oral mucositis in children?
What is oral mucositis in children?
Mouth mucositis is inflammation of the lining of the mouth (mucous membranes). Anti-cancer medicines (chemotherapy) may cause mucositis. Symptoms of mucositis include redness, swelling, irritation, pain, and sores in the mouth. A child with mucositis may have trouble eating, drinking, swallowing, and talking.
Which treatments can provide temporary relief from the symptoms of oral mucositis?
Topical pain relievers, including lidocaine, benzocaine, or dyclonine hydrochloride may provide temporary relief. Be sure to clean your teeth and mouth after meals and before applying any topical coating agent or medication for pain relief. In severe cases, you may need a prescription for a pain medication.
What are the stages of mucositis?
On a molecular pathology level mucositis is characterized as having five phases: initiation, upregulation with messenger generation, signaling and amplification, ulceration and inflammation and finally healing3.
What intervention is important for a child experiencing mucositis caused by radiation therapy?
-To prevent radiotherapy-induced mucositis, they recommend using midline radiation blocks and 3-D radiation treatment. They recommend using benzydamine to prevent mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer receiving moderate-dose radiation therapy.
Which of the following interventions is recommended for a patient receiving chemotherapy and experiencing mucositis?
The MASCC/ISOO guidelines recommend the use of cryotherapy to reduce oral mucositis in patients receiving bolus doses of 5-fluorouracil, melphalan and edatrexate 51. Ice chips are placed in the mouth, beginning 5 minutes before administration of chemotherapy and replenished as needed for up to 30 minutes.
How do you get rid of mucositis?
Do
- brush your teeth with a soft toothbrush at least twice a day.
- gently floss once a day if you can.
- rinse your mouth with warm water (or water mixed with a bit of salt) several times a day.
- suck on crushed ice or ice lollies.
- eat soft, moist foods, like soup, jelly or soft fruit, or try adding gravy or sauces to meals.
How long does it take for mucositis to go away?
Healing usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. Mucositis caused by radiation therapy usually lasts 6 to 8 weeks, depending on how long you have radiation treatment.
What foods to avoid with mucositis?
Foods to avoid
- Rough-textured or hard foods.
- Tart, acidic or salty foods.
- Spicy foods.
- Really warm foods or drinks.
- Crackers and hard-crust breads.
- Potato chips, pretzels, popcorn and snack chips.
- Citrus fruit and juices.
- Tomato juice.