“Chewing Technique” Using Gums toward Mucositis Prevalence on Chemotherapeutic Cancer Patients

Abstract

Mucositis treatment is currently developed more focusing on treatment rather than prevention. Therefore,
more therapy related studies with the concept of prevention is essential to be conducted. Chewing techniques
using chewing gum become an optional treatment to prevent the occurrence of chemotherapy-related
mucositis. This study aimed to determine the effect of chewing techniques using chewing gum to prevent the
occurrence of mucositis in patients who received chemotherapy at Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung. This
quasi experimental study employs the pre-posttest without control design. There were 30 cancer patients
from a population of 75 patients who received chemotherapy recruited through consecutive sampling. The
incidence of mucositis was measured using the Oral Assessment Guide (OAG) before treatment (day 1) and
after treatment (day 6). The results of the study revealed that median pre-test mucositis score was constant
(8?8) but the maximum post-test score of mucositis score increased (10). There was no significant difference
in pre-posttest mucositis score indicating that the mucositis incident after treatment did not differ significantly
compared to before treatment. Chewing activity by using chewing gum stimulates the parasympathetic nerves
resulting in dilation of blood vessels in the salivary glands that drain saliva. The mucosal protective process
will increase and can prevent the decline of oral mucosal conditions. Simultaneously chewing gum technique
has a tendency to prevent increased oral mucositis score among patients who received chemotherapy at
Hasan Sadikin Hospital Bandung. The hospital may consider chewing gum techniques in the nursing care
for patients who received chemotherapy to prevent increased mucositis score and to improve quality of life.