Electrical stimulation in the treatment of radiotherapy-induced hyposalivation.

PURPOSE: To analyze the effects of electrical stimulation on the salivary flow of head and neck cancer patients with radiotherapy-induced hyposalivation.

RESEARCH STRATEGIES: Searches were made in the Medline (via Pubmed), Cochrane Library, Scopus and Lilacs databases.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Selection included clinical trials that evaluated salivary flow objectively, published in the last 10 years in either Portuguese, English or Spanish.

DATA ANALYSIS: The PEDro scale was used for the methodological evaluation of the studies.

RESULTS: The search strategy resulted in 21 publications, 17 of which were excluded, hence there were 4 articles left. The included studies had a total of 212 participants, all of whom had an increase in salivary flow, both through the electroacupuncture method and direct application on the salivary glands. The score obtained through the PEDRo scale was low, evidencing questionable methodological quality and risk of bias.

CONCLUSION: The included studies demonstrate the clinical potential of TENS to increase the salivary flow of head and neck cancer patients treated with RT.