Silvestre FJ et al., (2009) demonstrated in a randomized, controlled clinicalstudy the subjective improvement afforded by a new artificial saliva in spray form containing an aqueous solution of mineral salts, xylitol and citric acid, in 37 elderly patients (aged over 60 years) with dry mouth, for 7days. All the patients (n=37) selected for this study presented some antecedent of disease characteristic of the age involved. All patients presented hyposialia as confirmed by resting whole saliva (RWS) <0.1 ml/min and stimulated whole saliva (SWS) <0.7 ml/min.
A new artificial saliva in spray format was applied, with evaluation of the degree of improvement (VAS scale), frequency of application, time to improvement in minutes, duration in minutes, and assessment of organoleptic properties. All the patients applied the product at least twice a day, and a maximum of 7 times a day (mean 3,89 daily applications). A total of 54% of the patients used the spray three or four times a day.
Twenty of the 37 patients showed almost immediate improvement after application. Twenty patients (54%) reported some improvement after using the spray. Such improvement was immediate in 19 cases, while one patient reported improvement after one minute. The duration of the humidification effect ranged from 6-28 minutes, with an average of 15,3 minutes. In 90% of the cases the duration of the effect was 10 minutes or more, while in 65% of the cases the effect lasted for 15 minutes or more. There was no relationship between such improvement and the background disease or drug use. No adverse effects were associatedwith the use of the product.
Authors concluded that application of the spray is simple and effective, affording immediate relief, and with reasonable acceptance among patients with dry mouth.
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