New Findings of Natural Agents for the Management of Radiotherapy Induced Oral Mucositis

Oral mucositis is the most common painful complication during and after radiotherapy in head and neck region causing to stop course of radiation frequently. Researchers have been continuously looking for drugs to prevent and treat this complication. However many natural and herbal agents have been suggested, some of which are attractive because of their safety, accessibility and availability. This study reviewed a number of these agents. Literature search was done in PubMed, Google, Iran Medex, and SID. The MeSH keywords used for the search were oral mucositis, radiotherapy, herbal medicine, propolis, chamomile, honey, aloevera, Glycyrrhizaglabra, calendula officinalis, Chinese herbal drugs limited to the topics and abstracts in English and Persian articles published 1995-2013. After sifting through the topics and abstracts, eventually 27 articles were selected which were related to the effect of various natural agents on radiation mucositis. According to inadequate evidences about effect of natural agents on oral mucositis, there is not appropriate guideline for management of oral mucositis.