Abstract
Objective：To evaluate the effectiveness of our team's mouth-care program to ameliorate dry mouth in outpatients who are undergoing hemodialysis using factors related to dry mouth, nutritional status, and bacterial count.
Methods：The mouth-care program we developed was conducted over a three-month period on hemodialysis patients receiving outpatient dialysis therapy. All participants in this study were over 18 years of age, cognitively normal, and had undertaken outpatient hemodialysis for more than three months. The Wilcoxon signed rank sum test was used for oral and
nutritional related data, and the test results prior and post intervention were compared. A content analysis method was also performed following an interview survey conducted with the participants, regarding their awareness of any changes in their dry-mouth symptoms, following the mouth-care program.
Results：26 hemodialysis patients participated in this study. The mean age was 65.3（±13.7）years. The mean dialysis vintage was 12（±11.0）years. Participant oral bacterial count decreased and total protein value increased significantly. Furthermore, the participants were aware of an amelioration in their oral hygiene state, mouth hemorrhage, oral cavity inflammation, and dry mouth. The participants also noted a decrease in the overall fluid intake per day required and ease in chewing and swallowing increased when they were eating.
Conclusion：The results demonstrate that this mouth-care program for people receiving outpatient dialysis has a positive effect on ameliorating dry mouth, decreasing oral bacterial count and improving the total protein value in hemodialysis patients.
