Changes in microflora in dental plaque from cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and the relationship of these changes with mucositis: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: To assess changes in oral micro flora in dental plaque from cancer patients within 7 days of the first course of chemotherapy, and the relationship of the changes with mucositis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty cancer patients, divided into a test group undergoing chemotherapy and a control group no undergoing chemotherapy, were enrolled in this pilot study. Oral micro flora were cultured from three samples of dental plaque at t0 (before chemotherapy), t1 (1 day after chemotherapy) and t2 (7 days after chemotherapy). Single and crossed descriptive analyses were used to establish prevalence, and the χ2 test was used to establish the statistical significance of the differences observed in distributions (significance level: P<0.05. RESULTS: In most patients (57%), oral micro flora consisted mainly of Gram-positive cocci, while the remaining 43% of the bacterial flora also had periodontal-pathogenic species. No Porphyromonas gingivalis appeared in the test group. Actinobacillus was the least frequently found bacterium among periodontal pathogens in the test group, while Fusobacterium nucleatum was the most frequently found. No significant differences were found in quantitative bacterial changes between t0, t1 and t2 in either the test or control groups, or between the two groups. According to World Health Organization scores, oral mucositis developed in 10 patients (66.6%) in the test group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study indicate that there were no changes in microflora in dental plaque in cancer patients within 7 days of the first course of chemotherapy. No correlations between oral mucositis and specific microorganisms were assessed. Key words: Oral microflora, dental plaque, cancer patients, chemotherapy.