ABSTRAK
Mukositis merupakan efek samping yang dialami anak dengan kemoterapi. Mukositis menyebabkan gangguan fisiologis dan fungsional yang menurunkan kualitas hidup anak kanker. Intervensi nonfarmakologis untuk mengatasi hal tersebut adalah berkumur menggunakan larutan salin sebagai protokol standar di rumah sakit dan intervensi mengunyah permen karet. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi perbandingan efektivitas mengunyah permen karet dan berkumur larutan salin terhadap skor mukositis pasien. Rancangan Penelitian menggunakan quasi experiment non equivalent control group, before and after design. Besar sampel 44 orang terbagi dalam dua kelompok. Analisis data menggunakan Mann Whitney Test. Hasilnya terdapat perbedaan bermakna antara skor mukositis oral setelah intervensi mengunyah permen karet dan berkumur salin (p=0,001). Analisis selanjutnya menunjukkan terdapat perbedaan bermakna rata-rata selisih penurunan skor mukositis oral, kelompok mengunyah permen karet lebih besar dibandingkan berkumur larutan salin (p=0,001). Dengan demikian mengunyah permen karet lebih efektif dibandingkan berkumur larutan salin dan dapat digunakan sebagai salah satu protokol perawatan anak dengan kemoterapi.

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ABSTRACT
Mucositis is one of side effect in patients received chemotherapy, it can cause physiological and functional disturbance which lead to decrease quality of life in pediatric cancer patients. An established non pharmacological intervention to overcome oral mucositis is gurgling with saline solution and chewing gum. The aim of this study was to compare effectiveness of chewing gum and gurgling with saline solution in the oral mucositis score. This study used an quasi experiment. Sample size was 44 children divided into two groups. The analysis of the data was using Mann Whitney Test. There was a significant difference between oral mucositis score after intervention (p=0,001). It was also shown a significant mean difference between both group, which was the mean differrence of decreasing oral mucositis score in chewing gum was higher than gurgling with saline solution (p=0,001). In conclusion, chewing gum is more effective than gurgling with saline solution, and it can be used as a nursing protocol for pediatric cancer.