ORAL MUCOSITIS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING ANTINEOPLASTIC THERAPY: A NARRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Oral mucositis is one of the most frequent and debilitating complications of antineoplastic therapies and may compromise eating, swallowing, speech, oral hygiene and the continuity of cancer treatment itself. This study aimed to analyze the influence of antineoplastic treatment on the development of oral mucositis in cancer patients, its functional repercussions and the prevention and management strategies described in the literature, with emphasis on the role of the dentist. This is a narrative literature review carried out in the PubMed and SciELO databases, considering articles published between 2010 and 2025 in Portuguese and English. Of the 22 articles identified, eight studies were selected for analysis. The results indicated that the occurrence and severity of mucositis vary according to the therapeutic modality, treatment intensity, oral cavity conditions and individual patient characteristics. Different preventive and therapeutic strategies were identified, such as basic oral hygiene care, photobiomodulation, cryotherapy and the use of topical agents; however, the heterogeneity of the protocols does not yet allow a single intervention to be defined. It is concluded that the follow-up of cancer patients should be individualized and multidisciplinary, with the participation of the dentist from the initial oral assessment to the management of oral changes resulting from antineoplastic therapy.