Efficacy and safety of Dentoxol® in the prevention of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients (ESDOM): a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II trial

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of Dentoxol mouthrinse in reducing the severity of oral mucositis (OM) secondary to radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase II clinical trial was conducted. Subjects were asked to use Dentoxol (n = 55) or control (n = 53) mouthrinse 5 times/day during RT. Twice a week, OM was assessed clinically using the WHO scale and the Oral Mucositis Daily Questionnaire (OMDQ) was completed. Results The incidence of severe OM was 40.7% in the Dentoxol group and 51% in the control group (p = 0.265). Comparing all recorded clinical assessments, severe OM was seen in 13.3% of all assessments in the Dentoxol group vs. 21.8% in the control group (p = 0.000). There was a statistically significant lower proportion of assessments showing severe OM in the Dentoxol group at weeks 4, 5, and 6 of RT. The mean duration of severe OM was 11.95 days in the Dentoxol group vs. 14.59 days in the control group (p = 0.502). There was no difference between groups in mouth pain and its impact on function. The use of Dentoxol was safe and was not linked to any serious adverse events. Conclusion The use of Dentoxol 5 times/day is safe and resulted in significantly fewer time-points with severe OM and a delay in the onset of severe OM, compared with a control rinse. A phase III clinical trial is warranted to confirm efficacy and address the limitations of this study.