Evaluation of oral mucositis risk in hematology patients

This study was carried out to determine the risk of oral mucositis in individuals with hematological diagnosis who received chemotherapy. The sample of this descriptive study consists of 97 individuals who applied to SANKO University Sani Konukoğlu Practice and Research Hospital Hematology Service and Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit. The research was conducted between October 2021 and May 2022. In the research, " Introductory İnformation Form " and "Oral Mucositis Risk Assessment Scale in Hematology Patients" were used as data collection. Data were evaluated with Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Spearman rank correlation coefficients. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. According to the findings of the research; It was determined that those who specified the occupational group as other, had rotten teeth, had frequent wounds in their mouth, used additional drugs, and applied any solution to protect the oral mucosa were in the risk group in terms of the development of oral mucositis according to the median score of the scale. In addition, patients who were neutropenic, did not change their toothbrush for a long time, and were evaluated in the following days of chemotherapy were also found to be at risk with the median value of the scale score. In this direction, it can be recommended to take the necessary precautions by determining the risk status of the patients and the affecting factors.