2023 Volume 37 Issue 4 Pages 288-297
Purpose：The purpose of this study was to measure oral moisture over time after oral hygiene management in parenteral patients and to clarify the relationship between general conditions and medications taken and change of oral moisture after oral hygiene management.
Subjects：The subjects were 103 patients with open mouth at rest and dry mouth（55 males and 48 females, mean age 84.5±8.6 years）who were admitted to an acute care general hospital in Kitakyushu City from September 2020 to March 2021.
Method：Using a moisture-checking device（Mucus®）, oral moisture was measured before oral hygiene management, immediately after application of oral moisturizing agent, 1 hour after application, 2 hours after application, and 3 hours after application. The subjects’basic information was extracted from medical records. In addition to evaluating oral moisture content over time, we investigated factors related to changes in oral moisture content using binomial logistic analysis.
Results：In parenteral patients, oral moisture after oral hygiene management decreased over time. Binomial logistic analysis indicated that diuretics（p＝0.012）and expectorants（p＝0.033）were factors that decreased oral moisture.
Conclusion：It is necessary to consider frequent use of oral moisturizing agents even after oral hygiene management and to examine the frequency of application in consideration of medications taken in parenteral patients.
