Title
Novel herbal-antioxidant topical gel for managing chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis in oral cancer patients: A randomized controlled trial
Authors
Sushil Kumar Sahoo1, Pulin Saluja2, Ashutosh Panda1, Disha Makwani3, Manish Kumar Chandraker4 & Shantala R Naik5,*
Affiliation
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hi-Tech Dental College and Hospital Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India; 2Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, India; 3Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Karnavati School of Dentistry, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India; 4Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Maitri College of Dentistry and Research Centre, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India; 5Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Dental Institute Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India; *Corresponding author
Sushil Kumar Sahoo - E-mail: doc_sksahoo@yahoo.com
Pulin Saluja - E-mail: Pulin.saluja@sgtuniversity.org
Ashutosh Panda - E-mail: asitpanda25@gmail.com
Disha Makwani - E-mail: dishamakwani@gmail.com
Manish Kumar Chandraker - E-mail: manishchandraker123@gmail.com
Shantala R Naik - E-mail: shantala_naik@rediffmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received November 15, 2025; Revised December 15, 2025; Accepted December 15, 2025, Published December 15, 2025
Abstract
Oral mucositis is a side effect of oral cancer chemotherapy, which is painful and frequent, usually interfering with the continuity and quality of life. This was a randomized controlled trial of a topical gel comprising of novel herbal-antioxidants when compared to standard benzydamine mouthwash in 60 subjects. WHO and VAS scales were used to evaluate the severity of the mucositis and its pain in 21 days. The novel gel exhibited much less decrease in the degree of mucositis (1.2 ± 0.4 vs 2.6 ± 0.6; p < 0.001) and pain levels (2.1 ± 0.9 vs 4.8 ± 1.3) and quicker recovery of the mucosal wound and no side effects. The new topical agent was more used to reduce the severity and duration of oral mucositis, benefiting the patients and enhancing their recovery.
Keywords
Oral mucositis, chemotherapy, oral cancer, topical agent, antioxidant gel, mucosal healing, pain alleviation.
Citation
Sahoo et al. Bioinformation 21(12): 4453-4458 (2025)
Edited by
Vini Mehta
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
