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The effect of chewing gum on postoperative pain in children undergoing tonsillectomy

Sumbule Koksoy Vayısoglu1, Harun Gur2, Emine Oncu1

  • 1Mersin University, Nursing Faculty, Department of Public Health Nursing, Turkey.

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
|April 23, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Chewing gum significantly reduced postoperative pain and analgesic use in children after tonsillectomy. This simple intervention offers a non-pharmacological approach to pain management in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Pain Management
  • Anesthesiology

Background:

  • Tonsillectomy is a common surgical procedure in children.
  • Postoperative pain is a significant concern following tonsillectomy.
  • Effective pain management strategies are crucial for pediatric recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of chewing gum in alleviating postoperative pain in pediatric tonsillectomy patients.
  • To compare pain scores and analgesic requirements between a chewing gum group and a control group.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, randomized controlled, single-blind interventional study.
  • 75 pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy were randomized into two groups.
  • Pain was assessed using the Wong Baker scale; analgesic use was recorded.

Main Results:

  • The chewing gum group reported significantly lower pain levels on all postoperative days compared to the control group.
  • Analgesic consumption was significantly reduced in the chewing gum group.
  • Statistical analysis confirmed a significant independent effect of chewing gum on pain reduction.

Conclusions:

  • Chewing gum is an effective non-pharmacological method for managing postoperative pain in pediatric tonsillectomy patients.
  • It presents a simple, cost-effective, and easily implementable intervention for clinical practice.
  • Further research may explore its application in other pediatric surgical procedures.
Abstract

Keywords:
Chewing gumOpiorphinPainPediatricTonsillectomy

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