<<< prev |
next >>>
Palliative Mouth Care : Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) : Medications
Medications: A combination of saline and sodium bicarbonate (5 mls in 500 mls normal saline)
and plain club soda are effective mouth washes. Commercial saliva substitutes can be
useful. If the salivary glands respond to its action, then the salivary
stimulant pilocarpine may be effective for awhile. Side effects may preclude its
use. For more information about pilocarpine (dosage, side effects, etc.) conduct a search of
Medline.
If there are no open oral lesions, 3% hydrogen peroxide with equal parts of water is an effective solution to cleanse the coated tongue and mouth. As the taste is unpleasant, always do a final rinse with plain water.
Sucking on Vitamin C tablets helps clean a coated tongue.
N.B. Rule out oral infection, especially thrush, with appropriate examination and tests. If
present, treat appropriately. Click here to find out more about managing
oral infections. <hyperlink to future companion module on Infection> What about
the high risk patient? A good principle to keep in mind is "water,
water, water and more water!". If your patients has a dry mouth then:
- swab and and moisten their mouth every hour
- increase the frequency of your oral care regime
- use lip protection, oral preparations and saliva substitutes liberally
Content for this flash card was provided by Pippa Hall, MD and Jay Lynch, RN; Curriculum Interchange Format CIF presentation methodology provided by Growth House, Inc.. For full credits click here.