PurposeThe objective of this study was to determine if an oral ketamine mouth wash and expectorant, that may or may not rinse transmucosal fentanyl, was a safe and effective method to alleviate a series of various difficult to control orofacial pain of cancer origin. Material and methodsA prospective review was made of the medical charts of 20 patients, finding 8 patients who received ketamine mouthwash (40mg=4ml), 8 patients who received ketamine mouthwash and oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate 200 mcg, and 4 patients with systemic opioids for refractory orofacial and mucositis pain. ResultsOf the 20 patients, 16 had orofacial or mucositis pain refractory to a mixture of lidocaine and opioids. The effectiveness of ketamine mouthwash was 50% (8/16 patients). The combination of ketamine and/or fentanyl transmucosal had an analgesic efficacy of 94.1% (15/16 patients). The adverse effects were associated with the ketamine mouthwash; all side effects were transient and subsided when the ketamine mouthwash was stopped. ConclusionKetamine mouthwash for orofacial pain due to cancer may be an effective treatment option. In cases of reported episodes of breakthrough pain, the combination of a ketamine mouthwash and oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate may be a viable treatment option in refractory mucositis pain.