Role of current strategies for preventing xerostomia in oropharyngeal cancer patients: A literature review

Xerostomia occurring as sequelae of radiation therapy results in oral complications, i.e., acid erosion, dysphagia, dysgeusia, periodontal diseases, taste disturbance, and dental caries. The best strategy should be to prevent damage of any salivary acini during the course of radiotherapy; therefore, we planned to look for all the strategies for its prevention. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Oral and Dentistry database thoroughly and included all the relevant articles published in the past 12 years (2005–2017). We found the following strategies for the prevention of xerostomia during radiation therapy: amifostine, pilocarpine, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, acupuncture, bethanechol, botulism toxin, histamine, insulin growth factor, submandibular gland transfer, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, radiation stents, stem cell transplantation, intravenous injection of adipose stem cells, lasers, and lidocaine HCL. These preventive methods not only maintain the morphology and function of salivary glands but also reduces the need for saliva-enhancing therapies later.