Self-reported thirst · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
Gum chewing reduced self-reported thirst in most studies (6 of 7 positive, 1 no effect); not meta-analyzed.
1 finding from 1 review
Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
Sentinel node biopsy (neck dissection only if biopsy positive) showed no clear difference in locoregional recurrence compared with elective neck dissection (low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Recurrence · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer with nodal disease (stage N2 or N3)
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary flow rate · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
Across 19 studies the effect of gum chewing on stimulated and/or unstimulated salivary flow rate was mixed (9 positive, 10 no effect); this broad outcome was not meta-analyzed.
1 finding from 1 review
The effect of gum chewing on xerostomia and salivary flow rate in elderly and medically compromised subjects: a… 2023 All outcomesVarious (single session to 12 months) · Haemodialysis units, elderly / geriatric care, cancer and palliative care, and xerostomia / hyposalivation clinics (studies from multiple countries)
Narrative vote-count: of 19 studies measuring stimulated and/or unstimulated saliva flow rate, 9 found a positive effect of gum chewing [17,18,22,24,27,35,36,38,39] and 10 detected no effect…
19 studies
GRADE not reported
Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
1 finding from 1 review
Total mortality · Adults with oropharyngeal cancer
Surgery showed no clear difference in total mortality compared with radiotherapy alone (low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Recurrence · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes
Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) probably leads to lower recurrence compared with therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection (moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral mucosal moisture · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
One small study found that chewing hard (but not soft) gum increased oral mucosal moisture.
1 finding from 1 review
Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oropharyngeal cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Recurrence · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Severity of white spot lesions (surface area and depth) · Orthodontic patients undergoing comprehensive treatment (late mixed or permanent dentition, no active caries)
White spot lesion severity was assessed narratively in a small number of studies and not meta-analyzed; evidence is limited (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Total mortality · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
1 finding from 1 review
Total mortality: study reported survival significantly better with surgery and RT vs chemoradiotherapy, but no useable data; 32 participants (1 RCT, Iyer 2015 oral cavity subgroup).
1 study · 32 participants
Very low
Disease-free survival · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes
1 finding from 1 review
Disease-free survival: Pandey 2018 reported 83% (superselective) vs 91% (selective) at median 36 months, not significant (P=0.69); unable to analyse (variable follow-up); 32 participants (1 RCT).
1 study · 32 participants
Very low
Adverse events associated with treatment · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
1 finding from 1 review
Total mortality · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer with nodal disease (stage N2 or N3)
PET-CT following chemoradiotherapy (neck dissection only if… showed no clear difference in total mortality compared with planned neck dissection before or after chemoradiotherapy (moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Adverse events associated with treatment · Adults with oral cavity cancer
1 finding from 1 review
Adverse events (BHNCSG 1998): flap necrosis, wound infection, fistula, vascular rupture, haematoma, seroma, chyle fistula; no complications in 45/76 modified radical ND and 54/72 supraomohyoid ND; 2 vs 1 postoperative…
1 study · 148 participants
Low
Adverse events associated with treatment · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Adverse events associated with treatment · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes
1 finding from 1 review
Total mortality · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review