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During palliative care, patients often suffer from their mouth. This is due to:

mouth dryness or xerostomia,

Treatment related stomatitis (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, antibiotherapy),

very frequent fungal infection,

open mouth breathing,

nutritional imbalance,

loss of autonomy and general weakness (difficult mouth rinsing).

Some very difficult situations are observed in head and neck cancer during the terminal phase.

Poor hygiene often leads to a very foul-smelling breath or halitosis which may increase family uneasiness, speech difficulty and pain during meals associated with difficulty in swallowing.

Prevention of mucitis and the use of simple therapeutic methods are mandatory and should be repeated every day without provoking pain:

The use of Q-tips and compresses to humidify the oral cavity,

Soft tooth-brushing with a pleasant non-irritating tooth paste,

Frequent gargles (when feasible) with Coca-Cola or antifungal mouth rinsing solutions (many magistral preparations exist),

The use of morphinic mouth rinsing solutions when severe, painful mucitis prevents feeding,

Alcoholic solutions should be avoided, since they induce pain when mucitis or mouth ulcers occur.

Good air hydration (use of misty water spray or a nebuliser) also offers improved preservation of oral comfort.