Effect of xerostomic medications on stimulated salivary flow rate in patients with Sjögren's syndrome

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of xerostomic medications on the salivary output of patients with Sjögren's syndrome. Method and materials: Of 62 patients evaluated in this study, 23 were not using medication, and 39 were using between 1 and 6 medications with xerostomic side effect. Results: The mean ± SEM stimulated parotid output was 0.33 ± 0.07 mL/min per gland for patients who were not using medication and 0.33 ± 0.04 mL/min per gland for patients using (1 to 6) medications. Analyses did not reveal a significant difference in salivary output between these groups. The salivary output of patients using various numbers of medications (1 or 2; 3 or 4; 5 or 6) was also compared. Analysis revealed no significant difference in salivary output related to the number of xerostomic medications used. Conclusion: The use of xerostomic medications may not necessarily affect stimulated parotid flow rate in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. These results suggested that gustatory stimulation may be adequate to overcome the inhibitory effect induced by xerostomic medications.