Systemic therapy of salivary gland hypofunction.
Salivary gland hypofunction occurs most often as a consequence of numerous drug therapies, anti-neoplastic treatments, or systemic disease. There are no universally accepted means of treating gland dysfunction and the resultant subjective xerostomia. A few studies have suggested that treatment of underlying inflammatory connective tissue disease will improve salivary performance in Sjögren's syndrome. Most of these reports, however, have either been limited to a small number of patients or have failed to include objective measures of salivary gland output. A larger body of literature deals with attempts using many different sialogogues to stimulate salivary function in a variety of conditions. Again, many studies have failed to document salivary improvement objectively. Recently, interest has focused on three drugs: bromhexine, anethole-trithione, and pilocarpine hydrochloride. Studies with these agents are reviewed, and current clinical investigations with pilocarpine are presented in detail.
D000781:Anethole Trithione / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001964:Bromhexine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012466:Salivary Gland Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000187:drug effects; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
D010862:Pilocarpine; D001964:Bromhexine; D000781:Anethole Trithione