2016 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 23-30
Introduction: Daily fluid restriction and aging-related atrophy of saliva glands might cause dry mouth in older hemodialysis patients. We hypothesized that greater saliva secretion is needed to relieve dry mouth and that this could be achieved by providing oral functional training to patients. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in resting saliva secretion after performing oral functional training for older hemodialysis patients with mild dry mouth.
Materials and Methods: Hemodialysis patients with mild dry mouth at Kawashima Hospital gave informed consent to participate in the study. They were then randomly divided into an intervention group (n＝31) and a control group (n＝30). The intervention group was provided oral functional training by a dental hygienist, including saliva gland massage for 30 s and tongue lateral movement for 12 weeks during dialysis treatment. The control group did not receive the training. Overall, 54 participants completed the experiment. Oral wetness was measured using a KISO-WeT Tester, and the amount of resting saliva secreted in 30 s was collected in a cotton roll and weighed. Measurements were implemented at baseline and at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after starting the regimen.
Results and Discussion: In the intervention group, oral wetness at 4, 8, and 12 weeks was significantly higher than that at baseline (p＜0.05, p＜0.001, p＜0.05, respectively). No statistically significant differences were found in the control group. In the intervention group, the amounts of saliva secreted at 4, 8, and 12 weeks were significantly greater than that at baseline (p＜0.05, p＜0.001, p＜0.001, respectively). In the control group, the amount of saliva secreted at 12 weeks was significantly more than that at 2 and 4 weeks (p＜0.05, p＜0.05, respectively).
Conclusion: We concluded that performing oral functional training, which included salivary gland massage and tongue movement training for 4 or more weeks, could increase the amount of resting saliva secretion in older hemodialysis patients with mild dry mouth.
