Table 2.

Patient-linked factors leading to increased risk for oral mucositis (OM) (15).

Age	Increased risk in very young age (high cell turnover rate) and old age (slower healing rate)
Gender	Trends to increased risk in females
Oral health and hygiene	Maintaining good oral hygiene and oral health lowers radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) risk
Salivary secretory function	Decreased saliva leads to increased RIOM risk
Genetic factors	Potential for high RIOM risk in certain individuals still to be identified
Body mass index	Delayed healing and increased breakdown in malnourished individuals
Renal function	Increased mucotoxicity linked with high serum creatinine level (poor renal function)
Smoking	Delays the healing
Previous cancer treatment	History of mucositis due to previous cancer treatment increases the risk