Nursing of dry mouth after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

During radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the salivary glands and oral mucosa cannot be avoided, so there is often varying degrees of dry mouth after treatment, so good care is required.

1. Psychological care

Before radiotherapy, inform patients about the relevant knowledge of xerostomia and the possible discomfort symptoms, and make them understand that xerostomia is inevitable and the discomfort will gradually decrease after adaptation. Give more comfort to patients with xerostomia to help them accept the facts, eliminate tension and irritability, and build confidence in overcoming the disease.

2. Health education

In order to reduce oral complications caused by radiotherapy, oral pretreatment is required before radiotherapy, such as removing residual tooth roots, repairing caries, treating oral inflammation, etc. Patients should also be reminded to maintain oral hygiene, be encouraged to drink more water, rinse their mouths with light salt water or mouthwash after meals, and brush their teeth with a soft toothbrush in the morning and evening.

3. Rehabilitation care

Give a high-calorie, high-vitamin semi-liquid diet, and use 4% borax solution or 3% sodium bicarbonate solution to rinse the mouth. When the patient develops oral ulcers, pseudomembranes, and pain, promptly evaluate their diet and nutritional status. You can use Beifu agent for external application to relieve pain, or you can use a mixture of normal saline, lidocaine, and vitamins to rinse the mouth to achieve analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

4. Discharge guidance

Inform patients that dry mouth may persist for a long time, and remind them to pay attention to oral hygiene, drink plenty of water, avoid fried, spicy, and rough foods, and not drink alcohol. For patients with difficulty opening their mouths, they should insist on doing mouth opening training, and tooth extraction should not be performed within 2 years to prevent jaw necrosis.