Prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation with sodium hyaluronate and collagen precursors

Background: Oral mucositis is a frequent inflammatory complications of the oral mucosa in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for hematopoietic cell transplantation; currently there is no standardized therapy. The sodium hyaluronate and amino acids (SH-AA) combination has been shown to be effective as a therapy in those patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical effects of SH-AA as a prevention in wound healing and pain management of oral mucositis. Methods: A randomized experimental study was designed with a total of 74 patients, divided into two groups according to the treatment they were to undergo. Group A: received professional oral health treatment associated with therapy with SH-AA; Group B: received professional oral health treatment and were prescribed a standard treatment with Chlorhexidine 0.20%. The patients were examined and was recorded any appearance of oral mucositis and its severity (WHO scale), the number of lesions, their persistence and the number of days necessary for them to heal. Results: Data obtained show patients of group A to have a lower risk both of developing mucositis (p = 0.005*) and of it occurring in a severe form, compared with group B (p = 0.003*), while those who developed it healed sooner (p = 0.01*). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study proves the association between the SH-AA product use and a reduced incident and occurence of OM in patients undergoing HSCT.