Effect of Chewing Different Flavor Gum on Procedural Pain and Fear

Needle-related pain and anxiety present persistent challenges in pediatric clinical procedures. This study aims to investigate the effects of chewing sugared and sugar-free gum on pain, anxiety, and fear in children undergoing venipuncture. A randomized controlled design will be used with 144 children aged 7-12 years to be recruited between November 2024 and January 2025. Participants will be randomly assigned to control, sugared gum, or sugar-free gum groups. Pain and fear will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Pen Pain Scale (PPS), and Children\'s Fear Scale (CFS). Crying duration will be recorded as a behavioral indicator. Data will be analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square, and Spearman correlation tests with a significance level of p \< .05. The study is intended to evaluate whether chewing gum can serve as a simple, low-cost, and non-invasive method to improve comfort and cooperation during pediatric venipuncture procedures.