J Oral Pathol Med: Oral supplements reduce the risk and severity of oral mucositis in cancer patients.

This systematic review and meta-analysis is designed to assess the effectiveness of oral supplements in the treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
researchers searched six databases and gray literature.
the methodology of incorporating the study through the Cochrane Collaborative Risk Bias tool and the quality of the evidence through theGRADE tool.
results, a total of 12 randomized clinical trials were included.
the oral supplements used are an oral element diet containing amino acids and minerals (elements), glutamine and zinc.
most studies have shown that the use of glutamine and zinc can delay the occurrence of OM in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and the use of glutamine, zinc and minerals can reduce the severity of OM.
meta-analysis showed that the risk of oral mucositis in the zinc group was slightly lower than in the control group (RR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53-0.96, P=0.02, n=9 82), while the glutamine group showed the same risk as the control group (RR:0.91, 95% CI: 0.78-1.05, P=0.19, n=314).
evidence suggests that zinc and glutamine studies have less confidence in estimating the effectiveness from the results of the assessment.
, zinc is a promising strategy for treating oral mucositis because it delays the occurrence of oral mucositis and reduces its severity.
, on the other hand, there is no strong evidence of glutamine and minerals in the prevention and/or treatment of oral mucositis in cancer patients.
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