Objective:

To investigate the interrater reliability in the assessment of oral mucositis (OM) between specialized dentists and registered nurses in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy, highlighting its significance in standardizing care practices.

Key Findings:

• Moderate interrater reliability was found between dentists and nurses in assessing OM (ICC = 0.672; 95% CI: 0.007–0.927; p = 0.026), indicating both professions effectively utilized the WHO oral toxicity scale for OM assessment, with implications for clinical practice.

Interpretation:

The findings suggest that nurses can reliably assess oral mucositis, comparable to specialized dentists, which may help standardize care practices in clinical settings.

Limitations:

• Variability in nurse assessments due to different personnel conducting evaluations at different time points, and potential biases in assessment methods. The study was limited to specific patient populations (multiple myeloma and lymphoma) and may not generalize to other cancer types.

Conclusion:

Nurses can perform reliable assessments of oral mucositis in high-dose chemotherapy patients, supporting the potential for broader roles in patient care and suggesting future research directions.