title: Salivary enhancement: current status and future therapies.
abstract: Saliva provides the principal protective milieu for teeth by modulating oral microbial ecosystems and reversing the initial phases of caries development. Patients with inadequate salivary function are at increased risk for dental decay. Therefore, it is likely that therapies that increase overall fluid output of these individuals will reverse early carious lesions. The most common causes of salivary dysfunction are medication usage, Sjögren's syndrome, and damage of salivary parenchyma during therapeutic irradiation. For patients with remaining functional acinar tissue, treatment with the parasypathomimetic secretogogues pilocarpine and Cevimeline may provide relief. However, these medications do not benefit all patients. The possibilities of using gene therapy and tissue engineering to develop treatments for those with severe salivary dysfunction are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore, MD, USA. Jatkinson@Dental.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Baum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051398:Aquaporin 1; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics; D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016371:Cranial Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D010277:Parasympathomimetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011812:Quinuclidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000528:radiation effects; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D013876:Thiophenes; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: C496020:AQP1 protein, human; D020346:Aquaporins; D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D010277:Parasympathomimetics; D011812:Quinuclidines; D013876:Thiophenes; D010862:Pilocarpine; D051398:Aquaporin 1; C059240:cevimeline