Figure 1.

Typical mucositis curve following radiation of the hamster cheek pouch . Mucositis was induced with a single dose of radiation (35 Gy) administered on day 0. Irradiation specifically targeted the left buccal pouch mucosa using a lead shield to isolate it from the rest of the animal. Mucositis was scored on a scale ranging from 0 for normal, to 5 for severe ulceration using the following definitions: 0 = healthy pouch; 1 = erythema, but no mucosal erosion; 2 = severe erythema and vasodilation, superficial erosion may be present; 3 = ulcer formation at one or more sites with cumulative size of ulcers equal to or less than 25% of pouch surface area; 4 = ulceration with cumulative size equal to approximately 50% of pouch surface area; 5 = ulceration involving virtually all of pouch surface area.