Efficacy of Herbal Gel in Reducing Xerostomia among Elderly Patients

Objectives: Decrease of physical functions among elderly may lead to hyposalivation (xerostomia), which may induce various oral discomforts. These oral discomforts caused by xerostomia can be reduced by applying saliva substitute. Alternative treatment can be found by using herbal substances, which are quite popular and has recently been developed in Indonesia, mainly because it can easily be accessed, cheaper in price and is safer to use than chemical substances.
Methods: A pre and post-treatment test control group design was conducted to evaluate short-term effects of herbal gel as saliva substitute. The samples (n=22/age 60-80) were treated with herbal gel – which consists of standardized herbal drug and pure honey. Oral discomforts were measured subjectively using visual analogue scale (VAS).
Results: Oral discomforts – like trouble sleeping and swallowing – treated with herbal gel showed decrease in VAS scores, with mean value of 2.91 points and 2.77 standard deviation. Average VAS score were statistically analyzed in which showed p = 0.03 (independent t-test, p<0.05). These result meant herbal gel could be used as an alternative to saliva substitute.
Conclusions: This study shows that herbal gel might be helpful to reduce and/or aid oral discomfort caused by xerostomia in elderly patients.