The effect of honey in oral care intervention against chemotherapy-induced mucositis in pediatric cancer patients: a pilot study

Objective: Mucositis is one of the common side effects of chemotherapy. This study aimed to identify the effects of honey on oral care interventions to reduce mucositis scores among children undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: This pilot study was quasi-experimental with pre-post intervention with the control group. The study employed consecutive sampling, with 24 patients in the control and 24 in the intervention group. The intervention group received an oral care protocol using honey, whereas the control group received regular oral care. The data were collected using demographic information form and the Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) to assess mucositis. The intervention group received oral care intervention using honey (35 ml of honey applied topically in the oral cavity and 15 ml of honey used as a mouthwash and for lip care), which was given thrice daily for five days. The data were analyzed using percentage distributions, means, chi-square tests, dependent and independent t-tests, and multivariate analysis using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: The findings of this study showed that the intervention group experienced a significant reduction (-0.51 ± 0.66) in the average mucositis score after the intervention, whereas the control group experienced an increase in the mucositis score (3.84 ± 1.28) after controlling for confounding variables (p = 0.000). Conclusion: This study revealed that oral care with honey effectively reduced chemotherapy-induced mucositis in children with cancer. These findings suggest that oral care with honey should be used as a nursing intervention for chemotherapy patients. Trial registration: This clinical trial was retrospectively registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) with registration number ACTRN12624001313527 (29/10/2024).