Introduction
Xerostomia is one of side-effects of radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. No definitive method has been
proposed for the treatment of this condition. However, pilocarpine is considered effective for the
management of chronic xerostomia. The purpose of the present study was to assess the preventive effect of
pilocarpine.
Materials and Methods
This study was performed on 34 patients with head and neck cancers, undergoing radiation therapy (5000
cGy). The patients were randomly divided into two groups. The case group was administered 16 drops of
pilocarpine (2%) eye drops per day, while the control group received normal saline; the treatment plan
continued for four weeks. Unstimulated whole saliva flow rate was measured at four stages: two weeks
before radiotherapy (baseline), the first day of radiotherapy, and two and four weeks after the initiation of
radiotherapy.
Results
At baseline and the first day of radiotherapy, no significant differences were observed in the amount of saliva
between the case and control groups (P<0.76 and P<0.054, respectively). However, by starting radiotherapy,
a statistically significant improvement was reported in saliva production in the case group, compared to the
control group (P<0.00); this trend continued during the next four weeks of radiotherapy (P<0.003).
Generally, a significant difference was observed between the two groups at all stages of data evaluation
(P<0.00).
Conclusion
According to the findings, pilocarpine was found to be effective for the prevention of xerostomia. Moreover,
it could restrain the decline in the amount of saliva and reduce the rate of xerostomia
