Purpose: A purpose of this study was to identify the effects of cold water gargling on thirst, oral cavity condition and sore throat in orthopedics surgery patients who underwent general anesthesia. Methods: Pretest-posttest non-synchronized design with a nonequivalent control group was used. A total of 52 participants were conveniently selected and assigned to each group. The experimental group gargled hourly with cold water for 8 hours after operation. The control group received wet gauze as needed. We compared the thirst, oral cavity condition and sore throat at 0, 2, 4 and 8 hours after operation. Results: The score of thirst and oral cavity condition was lower in the experimental group than in the control group. However, there was no significant differences in the levels of sore throat between the experimental and control group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that cold water gargling can be a useful nursing intervention for alleviating thirst and improving oral condition for patients with orthopedic surgery after general anesthesia.