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Salivary Gland Massage and Olfactory Stimulation for Relieving Feeding Difficulty and Triggering Oral Intake Among People With Dementia

NCT07678515 · Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2026-07-01

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Feeding difficulties are a common issue among individuals with dementia during moderate to advanced stages, particularly those in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Due to severe cognitive and communicative impairment, these residents often have a high dependency on feeding assistance. Consequently, caregivers manage not only refusal to eat and prolonged mealtimes but also the resulting nutritional problems among these patients. The eating process includes the anticipatory phase, during which food is identified via sensory triggers, thereby stimulating saliva secretion. This process facilitates bolus formation and ensures a smooth transition to the swallowing phase. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the efficacy of a dual-sensory intervention, combining salivary gland massage and olfactory stimulation, in improving feeding difficulties and food intake among individuals with moderate-to-severe dementia.

This study will employ a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. The experimental group will receive an intervention comprising salivary gland massage combined with aromatherapy for a total of 20 days. Simultaneously, baseline characteristics, including sociodemographic data, health status, and oral moisture, will be collected. Data for the 'Dementia Mealtime Nonverbal Cues' and two-meal intake will be monitored daily on weekdays for two weeks; all other variables will be assessed once. During the intervention period, the experimental procedure will be performed twice daily, prior to lunch and dinner. The control group will receive only a palm massage prior to meals. Throughout the intervention, participants will be assessed for "The Dementia Mealtime Nonverbal Cues" and oral intake during lunch and dinner every weekday. Additionally, oral moisture will be evaluated once weekly (T1-T4). Data will be analyzed using Linear Mixed Models (LMM) to examine the differences and longitudinal changes in outcome measures between the two groups. The findings of this study will contribute to the establishment of a safe, feasible, and culturally appropriate feeding care model for institutionalized individuals with dementia.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

SMART program (Salivary gland massage combined with aromatherapy

The experimental group will receive an intervention comprising salivary gland massage combined with aromatherapy for a total of 20 days.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Cheng Kung University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-03-16
Primary Completion
2026-06-27
Completion
2026-06-27

Countries

  • Taiwan

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07678515 on ClinicalTrials.gov