. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 May 13.

Published in final edited form as: Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2013 May 3;116(1):e37–e51. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2013.02.017

Table IV.

Current stimulation and palliation treatments

Stimulation and palliation	Pilocarpine or Cevimeline	Acupuncture	Saliva substitutes	Hydration pack (Xeros)	Electrical stimulation (GenNarino)
% Patients experiencing partial reduction in xerostomia	80%⁷⁷	55%⁷⁸	40%⁸	Not documented	N/A
Treatment duration	Lifelong	2 × 20 min/week for 4 weeks¹⁸	Lifelong	Lifelong	Lifelong
Cost calculation	3–4 of 5 mg Salagen pills per day, costing $3.95-$5.27 per day. Or 4 of 30 mg Evoxac capsules per day, costing $3.93/day⁷⁹	Average cost of an acupuncture session, $50-$70⁸⁰ × 8 sessions	40–150 mL of saliva substitute per day⁸¹ × $0.2/mL approximate US retail price for Biotene Oral Balance Liquid	Device retail price = $799⁸²	Device retail price = $575^†
Cost estimate per treatment^*	$5/day	$400-$600	$0.5-$2/day	$799⁸²	$575^†
Invasiveness	None	Minimally	None	None	None
Contraindications	Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and glaucoma⁷	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R
Side effects	Sweating, hot flashes⁷	N/R	Sticky mouth, mucosal damage	N/D	N/R

The current treatments aimed at stimulating the salivary glands or treating xerostomia symptoms are summarized. For each treatment, details are provided about the following parameters: xerostomia rate after treatment, treatment duration, cost estimate per treatment course, with detailed cost calculation, invasiveness, contraindications, and side effects.

N/A, not available, N/D, not documented, N/R, none reported.

Cost estimates are for the entire treatment duration, except for lifelong treatments, where the cost estimate is given on a daily basis.

^†

A. Wolff, President of Saliwell, Ltd, written communication.