Date of Award

11-13-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MSc in Nursing

First Advisor

Dr Rubina barolia

Second Advisor

Ms Sehrish Sajjad

Third Advisor

Dr Mashal Amin

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Oral Mucositis (OM) is one of the most debilitating side effect of cancer treatment like chemotherapy or radiation therapy. OM is the inflammation of the oral mucosa and development of numerous lesions like atrophy, erythema, oedema, ulceration, and bleeding. This inflammation which is associated with pain, can affect any region of the digestive track, and can cause severe pain and difficulty in swallowing, leading to weight loss and systemic infections. OM can be managed and its severity can be reduced through proper and regular use of oral care practices like, brushing, dental flossing, rinsing of mouth, lip care, and regular dental visits.
/="/">Aim: The aim of the study was to identify the practices of oral care among adult cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or both. The study also intended to find the association of oral care practices with the occurrence of OM.
/="/">Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted in a private tertiary care hospital, in Karachi, Pakistan. The data was collected from 207 cancer patients, above 18 years of age. An adopted tool was used to explore the oral care practices of the participants, and the World Health Organization (WHO) tool was used to assess the grades of mucositis.
/="/">Results: The study found that following proportions of study participants performed oral care practices as recommended by WHO: 81.6% brushing teeth, 8.2% using dental floss, 86.5% rinsing mouth, (6.3%) visited dentists, and (14.5%) were taking care of their lips. Among the study participants 59.9% developed grade one, 31.9% developed grade two, 4.8% developed grade three, and 3.4% developed grade four OM. The OM was statistically associated with the gender of participants (p value < 0.001), type of treatment that the participants were receiving (p value < 0.001), use, type, and frequency of brushing (p value < 0.001), rinsing mouth (p value=0.050), and type of meal and fluid intake (p value < 0.001).
Conclusion: This study concluded that the development and severity of OM can be decreased through regular use of oral care practices, proper and regular assessment of oral mucosa, visiting dentists regularly, and providing and reinforcing teachings regarding importance of oral care practices.

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Last Page

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