Mouth care
Mouth sores, Dry mouth, Sticky/thick saliva, Mouth pain, Oral thrush, Candida
Some cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy (to head and neck), can cause changes to the lining of your mouth and throat, including swelling, ulceration, redness and candida. Treatment can also cause changes to your saliva glands and can reduce the amount of saliva you produce.
As saliva protects the teeth, tooth decay can be a problem after treatment. Therefore, it is important to establish a regular mouth care regime early on in your treatment to help keep the lining of your mouth and teeth as healthy as possible.
A sore and/or dry mouth cannot always be prevented but letting your healthcare team know of any mouth problems early on, means your symptoms can be treated quickly.
There are steps you can take to reduce the risk of mouth problems during your treatment, and ways to help ease discomfort. The information on this page will help you to find out more about mouth care and cancer.
We've collected our favourite resources for you to read, watch, listen to, download and share to better understand and manage this concern, as well as clinical services if you would prefer to speak to someone about the emotional challenges of cancer treatment.
Teeth and Mouth Care
HEAD AND NECK CANCER AUSTRALIA
We recommend this resource because...
Do you know how to keep your teeth and mouth healthy? Check this website out and watch the patient video. Head and Neck Cancer Australia is the first Australian charity dedicated to providing education and support to people living with head and neck cancer.
Mouth Care for Head and Neck Cancer Patients
LIFEHOUSE
We recommend this resource because...
Want to watch something instead? This video demonstrates how to take care of your mouth and teeth during this time (looks at types of toothbrushes to use etc) – 7 minutes
** Please note salt and bicarb mouth care recipe in video is slightly different to one recommended by PAH Speech Pathologists (link to ebook)
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Head and Neck Cancer
EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR MEDICAL ONCOLOGY (ESMO)
We recommend this resource because...
The ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) provide recommendations for the best standards of cancer care prepared for health care professionals. Information on mouth washes, mucositis and xerostomia.
NCCN Guidelines
NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER NETWORK
We recommend this resource because...
This is a very comprehensive US based website that provides detailed information about a range of cancers covering anatomy, diagnosis, staging, treatment and survivorship. It is an excellent resource but can be difficult to understand without having medical knowledge
Speech Pathologists
Can provide support and help to manage side effects of treatment impacting on eating and drinking. If you would like to link with one of our speech pathologists, please ask your treating health professional to send a referral.
Oncology Nurses
Nurses can provide support and options to assist with any symptoms or concerns you may have.
Dietitian and nutrition support services
Dietitians can provide support and practical strategies to develop a meal plan that meets your individual needs. If you would like to be linked with one of our dietitians, please ask your treating health professional to send a referral.
