Mouth Pain

Forty to sixty percent of people undergoing chemotherapy experience mouth pain.

Speak with your medical team if you are experiencing pain on swallowing.

Watch our mouth pain video for tips on eating and drinking with mouth pain.

Key strategies to assist with mouth pain:

Tell your treating team if your mouth is sore.
Take your pain relief as prescribed by your treating team.
Try regular alcohol-free mouth wash.
Avoid foods or fluids that make your mouth sting for example orange juice, pineapple.
Avoid hard, crunchy and rough foods that can irritate your mouth.
Modify the texture of your meal to be softer (see below).

Who can help?

Doctor
Nurse
Pharmacist
Speech pathologist
Dietitian

Strategies to help manage mouth and throat pain

Food Group	Tips to make meal softer
Breads	Use extra butter or margarine or avocado Soften in soups Soak the bread in egg and milk and cook/fry
Cereal	Cover cereal with additional milk to soften Soak cereal overnight in milk, juice or yoghurt in the fridge
Meats, chicken, fish	Try slow cooked meat, flaky fish, or minced meat dishes e.g. Shepherd's pie Add extra gravy or sauce Try meat alternatives e.g. scrambled egg, baked beans, tofu, lentils
Biscuits	Soften in warms drinks for example tea, hot chocolate
Acidic foods e.g. oranges, pineapple, strawberries, tomato	Try stewed fruit or ripe pear or banana Add yoghurt Add fruit to a smoothie made on preferred milk Use a cream based sauce instead of tomato
Vegetables	Roast, mash or puree vegetables Add a sauce for example cheese sauce Add to soups or stews