Oral discomfort is a common complain among patients in hospice facilities and may affect the quality of life. Terminally ill patients may suffer from oral discomfort and pain, coated mouth and tongue, mouth sores, oral infections, denture-related problems and xerostomia. At Hospice Lovisenberg tea solutions made from the herb Salvia officinalis (SO) have been used for over 10 years as a mouth rinse solution in oral care. There are indications that this mouth rinse has beneficial effects on oral comfort and have reduced oral complications.
Studies documenting the effectiveness of oral care products and rinsing solutions often focus on patients receiving cancer treatment, to prevent, cure or reduce distressing side effect from treatments. Distressing oral complications are well documented among patients in palliative care, but little research has been undertaken regarding treatment of these specific complications.
This study examines the effectiveness of an herbal mouthwash made from salvia officinalis (SO) in maintaining good oral health among patients in palliative care. It is hypothesized that using the mouthwash made from SO will result in better oral health and more oral comfort than using with conventional normal saline mouthwash.
The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a herbal mouthwash made from SO in maintaining good oral health among patients in palliative care. The study compares a mouthwash based on salvia tea solution with conventional normal saline mouthwash and addresses the following research questions:
- Does the SO-based mouthwash provide a better treatment than conventional normal saline in maintaining good oral health in terminally ill patients?
- Is there a difference in the individual perception of oral comfort in patients receiving SO versus patients receiving saline rinsing solution?
This is a single blinded randomized, controlled study, addressed in a prospective design. Patients with oral discomfort will be introduced to the project by nursing staff at the hospice, enrolled consecutively and randomized into 2 comparable study groups. Data collection will be carried out before, during and after treatment. The study period will be 4 days.
Data will be collected from medical records, self-reporting questionnaires and by visual examination of the oral cavity performed by a dentist at baseline and after the intervention.
The patient will, during the course of the study, answer questionnaires and undergo oral examinations. Some information collected in the study is currently collected from all residential patients at Hospice Lovisenberg in order to provide best possible care, and will not involve extra burden for the patient in the study. Additional questions will be asked before, during and after the study. A swab-test will also be performed in order to detect oral infections.