Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "propolis" Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2026 Oct 30;72(11):e20260772. doi: 10.1590/1806-9282.20260772. eCollection 2026.ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of adding a propolis gargle to standard oral care on the development of oral mucositis in critically ill patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 60 critically ill patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Both groups received the institutional standard oral care protocol with 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate three times daily. The intervention group additionally received a propolis gargle three times daily for 15 days. Oral mucosal status was evaluated using the total oral mucosa score.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in oral mucosa scores between the groups at baseline, whereas oral mucosa scores were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group at the 7- and 15-day follow-ups (p<0.001).CONCLUSION: Adding propolis gargle to standard oral care significantly reduced the development of oral mucositis in critically ill patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, because the intervention group received additional oral care exposure, the independent effect of propolis cannot be determined and requires further investigation.Clinical Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07426198.PMID:42987111 | PMC:PMC13722093 | DOI:10.1590/1806-9282.20260772