INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF SUGAR FREE GUM ON THE THIRST AND DRY MOUTH OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING HEMODIALYSIS

Introduction: Thirst and dry mouth are some of the most commonly observed symptoms in patients undergoing hemodialysis which can affect the quality of life of these patients. Finding uncomplicated, non-prescriptive solutions to reduce the dry mouth and irritation of these patients seems quite crucial. Since chewing sugar free gum is likely to alleviate these complications through increasing the flow of saliva, the present study was conducted to investigate the impact of sugar free gum on the thirst and dry mouth of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Materials and method: The present quasi-experimental study was performed on 50 patients undergoing hemodialysis who met inclusion criteria. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of sugar free gum chewing and control; the thirst and dry mouth of the patients were evaluated by means of a dialysis thirst quotient instrument (DTI, dry mouth measurement tools (XI), VAS). Patients of intervention group were told to chew sugar free gum for one week when they felt thirsty; however, the control group did not receive any intervention. The thirst and dry mouth of the patients were again measured and analyzed using SPSS version 22 after the intervention. Findings: According to the results of the present study, there turned out to be a significant difference between thirst and dry mouth and chewing sugar free gum before and after the intervention (P < 0.05). However, the thirst and dry mouth of the patients before and after the intervention did not show any significant difference in the control group (P > 0.05). Also, there was no significant difference in the comparison of thirst and dry mouth between the two groups before the intervention (P > 0.05); while this difference turned out to be significant after the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, which showed the effect of sugar-free gum in reducing the thirst and dry mouth of hemodialysis patients, and given the low cost and availability of this intervention and that no specific complication was identified for them, therefore, it is possible to use this method in various patients who suffer from dry mouth and thirst for various reasons, including patients undergoing hemodialysis.