Efficacy of Tens and Ultrasound Stimulation to Increase Salivary Flow in Postmenopausal Women with Oral Dryness: A Clinical Study

Abstract

Background: Postmenopausal women may encounter a wide range of oral symptoms, including dry mouth and changes in taste perception, which can negatively impact their overall health and happiness. Objectives: To evaluate the oral dryness in postmenopausal women and to compare the efficacy of TENS and ultrasound therapy for stimulating salivary production. Methods: A total of 70 postmenopausal women who reported oral dryness, determined by their responses on the Xerostomia Inventory and modified Schirmer test, were divided into two groups of 35 each. The acquisition of unstimulated whole saliva was conducted utilizing the low-forced spitting technique. Group A received external salivary stimulation of the parotid gland using TENS electrodes, while group B received ultrasound stimulation using a probe and sialometry was performed immediately and after 24 hours. Salivary flow rate were compared pre- and post-stimulation within and across groups. Results: The average age of post-menopause women in group A was 61.26 ± 8.01 and in group B 62.83 ± 9.31. Groups A and B had similar baseline unstimulated salivary flow rates (P value = 0.288). Significantly increased salivary flow was observed in both groups (P = 0.001). On comparison between the groups, TENS showed a notably better performance than ultrasound, (P = 0.001) immediately after intervention and after 24 hours. Conclusion: Mechano-stimulation using TENS and ultrasound are promising tools for non-invasively stimulating the salivary flow without any side effects in postmenopausal women. Though TENS proved to be more efficient than ultrasound the latter seemed to be the more patient-compliant.

Keywords

• postmenopause
• saliva
• transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (tens)
• ultrasonic therapy
• xerostomia