ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a new oral rinse containing sodium hyaluronate and other functional ingredients in reducing xerostomia-associated symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this 8-week, double-blind crossover study, xerostomia subjects used all three of GUM®HYDRAL™ Oral Rinse, placebo rinse, and Biotene® Oral Rinse as active control. Visual Analog Scale, a dry mouth questionnaire, Oral Health Impact Profile-14, unstimulated saliva flow rate (USFR), and Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG) were assessed before and after 2 weeks of treatments. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients completed all three treatment modalities. Subjective measurements were significantly decreased by test product and active control; however, no significant difference was observed between the treatments. Test product and active control demonstrated a significant increase in USFR over 0.2 ml/min, a normal threshold of hyposalivation. Both test product and active control improved a total score of ROAG, whereas the effectiveness of the test product was significantly better than that of other two treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The new oral rinse may be beneficial to improve the quality of life of xerostomia patients as dry mouth symptoms were reduced for both subjective and objective measurements. Test oral rinse was found to be more effective than placebo or active control for some of the objective measurements.