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Integrated oral care contributes positively to the course of treatment of oncopediatric patients

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European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to implement a model of permanent oral health care for oncopediatric patients and to observe its effects on severe oral mucositis and subsequent treatment interruptions. We performed a quasi-experimental study in the Pediatric Department of Napoleão Laureano Hospital, in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. A integrated oral care was implemented by a dentistry team for prevention of comorbidities, such as infections, oral pain, oral function maintenance, oral mucositis, and interventions for lesions due to severe oral mucositis. The oral comorbidities were compared before and after the implementation. The duration of severe oral mucositis (SOM) before and after the interventions and the interruptions in treatment due to SOM were the main outcome measures. Permanent oral health care reduced the duration of SOM and reduced pediatric chemotherapy interruptions due to SOM by 81.8%.

Conclusion: The permanent oral health care to offer to oncopediatric patients increased surveillance regarding oral comorbidities and reduced chemotherapy interruptions due to severe oral mucositis. This care plan could be adopted anywhere around the world.

What is Known:

• Several studies on oral care for pediatric oncology patients, especially regarding both prevention of and treatment for oral mucositis during antineoplastic therapy, have been published.

What is New:

• This study describes the benefits of permanent oral care with daily oral surveillance for pediatric patients, which reduced the duration of severe oral mucositis, increased surveillance and the efficiency in diagnostic for signs of oral mucositis, enabling early intervention, and decreased chemotherapy interruptions, contributing positively to the course of treatment.

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Data Availability

The data and material used in this study are available for any consultation and analysis.

Abbreviations

NLH:

Napoleão Laureano Hospital

G1:

Pre-intervention group

G2:

Intervention group

SOM:

Severe oral mucositis

OAG:

Oral Assessment Guide

dmft:

Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth Index in deciduous teeth

DMFT:

Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth Index in permanent teeth

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Code availability

In data analysis, we used the R software, a free software (R Core Team (2019) (R: A language and environment for statistical computing; R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL https://www.R-project.org/.)).

Funding

The present study received a research grant from the World Health Organization Implementation Research Regional Training Centre for the Americas Region.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Program in Dentistry, Federal University of Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, 58051900, Brazil

    Isabella Lima Arrais Ribeiro, Ricardo Dias de Castro, Paula Maria Bezerra Maracajá, Fabio Gomes dos Santos, Eliane Batista de Medeiros Serpa & Simone Alves Sousa

  2. Postgraduate Program in Clinical Dentistry, State University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

    Raphael Cavalcante Costa

  3. Postgraduate Program in Decision Models and Health, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Lecidâmia Cristina Leite Damascena & Nyellisonn Nando Nóbrega de Lucena

  4. Statistics Department, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

    Ana Maria Gondim Valença

Authors
  1. Isabella Lima Arrais Ribeiro
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  2. Ricardo Dias de Castro
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  3. Raphael Cavalcante Costa
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  4. Lecidâmia Cristina Leite Damascena
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  5. Nyellisonn Nando Nóbrega de Lucena
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  6. Paula Maria Bezerra Maracajá
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  10. Ana Maria Gondim Valença
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Contributions

ILA - concept, design, implementation of the care model, data collect, data analysis, article writing, and critical review.

AMGV - concept, design, implementation of the care model, data collect, data analysis, article writing, and critical review.

RDC - concept, design, implementation of the care model, article writing, and critical review.

RCC - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

LCLD - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

NNNL - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

PMMB - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

FGS - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

EMS - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

SAS - implementation of the care model, data collect, and article writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isabella Lima Arrais Ribeiro.

Ethics declarations

Additional declarations for articles in life science journals that report the results of studies involving humans and/or animals

All the patients consented to participate in this study or had their participation consented by the caregiver by signing the terms of consent and consent.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the ethics committee on human research at the Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba (protocol number: 12922113.8.0000.5188) and conducted according to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent to participate

All the patients consented to participate in this study or had their participation consented by the caregiver by signing the terms of consent and consent.

Consent for publication

N/A

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Peter de Winter

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Ribeiro, I.L.A., de Castro, R.D., Costa, R.C. et al. Integrated oral care contributes positively to the course of treatment of oncopediatric patients. Eur J Pediatr 180, 2757–2764 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04024-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04024-z

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