ArticleBMC palliative care2023
Dry mouth in patients with a life-limiting condition or frailty: a study protocol for two intervention studies and a nested qualitative sub-study (the Dry mOuth Project, DROP).
Article in BMC palliative care, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Xerostomia in Patients With a Life-limiting Condition or Frailty: a Double-blind Placebo-controlled Randomized Clinical Trial
Dry Mouth in Patients With a Life-limiting Condition or Frailty: the Effect of a Nurse-led Patient Education Program
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dry mouth in palliative care: A systematic review of clinical practice guidelines around the world.Palliative medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Oral health-related quality of life in head and neck cancer survivors in Egypt within the first year after radiotherapy: a multivariable analysis.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Examining the relationship between oral health indicators, obesity, and Xerostomia in older adults.BMC public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDespite its prevalent and impactful nature, dry mouth remains an underexposed and undertreated symptom in patients with a life-limiting condition or frailty. The main contributing factors are a lack of awareness and knowledge amongst both healthcare professionals and patients, and a scarcity of effective, evidence-based interventions. In the DRy mOuth Project (DROP), we address these factors by investigating both a non-pharmacological and a pharmacological intervention: a nurse-led patient education program and locally applied pilocarpine.
methodsThis intervention-based research project consists of two parallel studies. The non-pharmacological study is a cluster non-randomized controlled trial in 228 palliative nursing home and hospital patients, investigating the effect of structured use of guidelines and of patient education on dry mouth symptoms. This intervention, a nurse-led patient education program (the Mouth Education Program, MEP), will be compared to care as usual, the control. The pharmacological study is a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial that examines the effect of locally applied pilocarpine drops in 120 patients with dry mouth symptoms. Both studies use the same mixed-methods study design, in which the primary outcome is the clinical response to the intervention at 4 weeks, as measured by a dry mouth severity score (numeric rating scale from 0 to 10). Other outcomes, as measured by questionnaires over a 12-week follow-up period, include durability of the effect, impact on quality of life and, adherence and acceptability of the intervention. In addition, the feasibility and cost-effectiveness are evaluated by means of questionnaires and focus groups with healthcare professionals, and interviews with patients. DISCUSSION: This study investigates the effectiveness and feasibility of two interventions for dry mouth symptoms in patients with life-limiting conditions or frailty. Due to the large-scale and mixed-method nature of the study, this study will also improve our understanding of dry mouth and its relating factors and of the patients' and healthcare professionals' experiences with symptoms, care and guidelines of dry mouth, including any perceived barriers and facilitators.
trial registrationNCT05964959 & NCT05506137.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.