RESUMO
Background: Childhood cancer is one of the main causes of child mortality and its treatment has debilitatingeffects on the oral cavity. Several oral mucositis (SOM) is one of the most common and may cause undesirablesymptoms such as pain and risk of systemic infection.Material and Methods: This was a longitudinal, retrospective, and observational study determining the incidenceof severe oral mucositis (SOM) and its occurrence sites in pediatric oncologic patients, in João Pessoa, Brazil,between 2013 and 2018. Data from 56 patients aged 1 to 18 years were collected from their medical records andthrough an oral mucosa examination, from the 1st to 5th week of chemotherapy treatment (CT) using the modifiedOral Assessment Guide, by previously calibrated examiners (Kappa index > 0.7). The data were analyzed by theChi-square test, and Odds Ratios were calculated.Results: Most patients were females (54.5%), aged 8.8 years (± 4.8), with hematologic tumors (73.2%), predomi-nantly Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (50.0%). An increase in the occurrence of SOM was observed throughout theCT (P = 0.05), ranging from 12.5% in the 1st to 35.7% in the 5th CT week. In the 1st CT week, there was a predomi-nance of alterations in the lips (5.5%) and saliva (5.5%), while in the 5th , the jugal / palate mucosa (21.4%) remainedthe most affected site by SOM. Differences in the severity of SOM in the jugal / palate mucosa (P = 0.01) and labialmucosa (P = 0.04) were observed over time. In the 5th CT week, the likelihood of developing SOM was 13.3-foldhigher (95% CI: 1.5 - 105.6) in patients with hematologic tumors. Conclusions: The incidence of SOM was higher in the 5th CT week, most commonly affecting the jugal / palate mu-cosa, and patients with hematologic tumors were more prone to develop SOM.(AU)
