[Examination of the oral cavities of patients with cancer: clinical evaluation and indirect measurement of the nitric oxide level].

This observational study aimed to verify the association between the clinical state of the oral cavity (based on the Index of Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth and the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index) and the indirectly determined nitric oxide level in patients with oncologic and hematologic diseases. This study included 20 hospitalized patients who were in the evaluation phase prior to starting chemotherapy and who had been diagnosed with leukemia (35%), lymphoma (50%) or myeloma (15%). Fifty percent of these patients had normal oral health (no injury or trauma), and most had satisfactory (35%) or typical (35%) hygiene, but 30% had poor or very poor hygiene.

Use of therapeutic laser for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis.

Oral mucositis (OM) affects patients who are submitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) due to high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. The purpose of this investigation was to perform a comparative study of the frequency and evolution of OM among patients subjected to therapeutic laser and to the conventional therapy (use of mouthwash called 'Mucositis Formula'). The patients were subjected to a myeloablative conditioning regimen before the allogeneic HSCT.