Oral Mucositis in Haemodialysis Patients and Some Factors Affecting It; [Hemodiyaliz Hastalarında Oral Mukozit ve Etkileyen Faktörler]

Background: As a result of the increasing number of individulas with chronic renal failure (CRF), it has become important to evaluate oral health and care in patients. This study was conducted to determine the presence of oral mucositis (OM) in hemodialysis (HD) patients and the factors affecting it. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital and a private dialysis centre in Erzincan province between October and December 2020 with 107 patients. Descriptive statistics, Chi-Squared Test, and Independent Sample T-Test were used in SPSS 23.0 software for data analysis. Results: It was found that 29.1 % of the patients had OM and 16.5 % had stage 2 OM. The frequency of OM was found to be higher in patients with inadequate income level, illiterate patients, inhaler drug users, patients with inadequate appetite (p < 0.05), patients who did not pay attention to oral hygiene and never visited the dentist (p<0.01). Conclusion: It was found that the majority of patients included in the study did not pay attention to oral hygiene, did not receive oral hygiene education and OM developed in the patients. It was also found that income level, educational status, use of inhalers, appetite status, attention to oral hygiene and dental visits significantly influenced the frequency of OM. In line with these results, the nurses should perform protection and care of oral health in HD patients according to the individualised care process and provide appropriate counselling on the subject. © 2025, Selcuk University. All rights reserved.