Effect of Chewing Gum Containing Zingiber Officinale on Dry Mouth Condition in Haemodialysis Patients Compared to Chewing Gum Without Zingiber Officinale Publisher

Summary: Ginger gum may alleviate dry mouth in dialysis patients, boosting saliva and quality of life! Safe, inexpensive option for xerostomia – could it help you? #OralHealth #Haemodialysis

Pourshahidi S¹ ; Manifar S² ; Dadashi F³ ; Shamshiri AR⁴ ; Pezeshki ML⁵ ; Mojab F⁶
Source: Journal of Herbal Medicine Published:2024

Abstract

Introduction: Xerostomia is the most common presentation of salivary glands dysfunction affecting about 20% of the population. This study investigated the effect of ginger gum on xerostomia and quality of life in haemodialysis patients. Methods: Thirty patients undergoing haemodialysis with dry mouth were randomly divided to ginger and placebo gum groups. At the beginning of the study, unstimulated and stimulated saliva samples were collected and Xerostomia Inventory (XI) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-Per14) questionnaires were administered. After 14 days, stimulated and unstimulated saliva samples were collected again and XI and OHIP-Per14 questionnaires were completed. Analysis of covariance was applied for statistical analysis. Results: The rate of unstimulated salivary flow (P = 0.03) and oral health related quality of life (P = 0.03) were significantly higher in patients that received ginger chewing gum. The amount of stimulated saliva (P = 0.10) and the mean severity of dry mouth (P = 0.19) were higher in patients receiving ginger gum compared to the placebo group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: With regard to the effect of ginger gum on increasing unstimulated saliva and quality of life, it can be proposed as a safe, inexpensive, and available method to manage dry mouth. © 2024 Elsevier GmbH