Role of TENS in the management of Radiation Induced Xerostomia

Xerostomia is the symptom of oral dryness resulting from decreased salivary flow. The main causes of xerostomia are medications, radiation therapy of head & neck cancers & autoimmune disorders. Palliative treatments include topical agents, saliva substitutes. Systemic sialogogues like pilocarpine stimulate salivary flow but often have side effects. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a well-known physical therapy, which is useful for the relief of pain. Electrostimulation was studied in the past and showed moderate promise but never became part of the main stream therapy for better management of xerostomia. Results of preliminary investigations of non-invasive electronic stimulation of reflex salivation in xerostomic patients have been encouraging. But researches in this area have been sparse. Hence, this book enlightens about how the TENS is used in the better management of radiation induced xerostomia patients. It explains the mechanism of TENS on salivary glands and as this pilot study is promising, it imposes researchers to pursue study in this field.