Gum chewing (sugar-free) vs No chewing gum
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
- The effect of gum chewing on xerostomia and salivary flow rate in elderly and medically compromised subjects: a… 2023 All outcomesVarious (preoperative period to 3 + 1 months) · Haemodialysis units, elderly / geriatric care, cancer and palliative care, and xerostomia / hyposalivation clinics (studies from multiple countries)Narrative vote-count: of 7 studies measuring thirst, 6 found gum chewing reduced thirst [16,20,21,26,27,31] and 1 detected no effect [29].7 studiesGRADE not reported