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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2021; 16(04): 770-776
DOI: 10.4103/ajns.AJNS_48_21
Original Article

Efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on salivary flow rates in normal healthy adults according to gender and age groups

C Ramesh
Department of Dentistry, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Ammapettai, Nellikuppam Post, Chengalpattu District, Nellikuppam, Tamil Nadu
,
Sharad Sawant
1   Department of General Surgery, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Medical College and Hospital, Sangli
,
Deepak Kolte
2   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai
,
Barun Kumar
2   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai
,
Kosuru Kranthi
3   Department of Periodontology, Meghna Institute of Dental Sciences, Nizamabad, Telangana
,
Tejal Patil
2   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai
,
J Babu
4   Division of Periodontology, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Ha'il, Ha'il
,
C Swarnalatha
4   Division of Periodontology, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Ha'il, Ha'il
,
Abhishek Nayyar
5   Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental College and Hospital and Post-Graduate Research Institute, Parbhani, Maharashtra
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Introduction: Salivary gland hypofunction might be associated with various local and systemic conditions and is managed with a plethora of therapeutic options with associated side effects. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is one such option with no known systemic side effects for dealing with this crippling condition. The present study was planned with a similar intent of assessing impact of TENS on salivary flow rates in normal healthy adults according to gender and age groups. Materials and Methods: The present study was designed as a cross-sectional study on 130 healthy adults wherein unstimulated and stimulated saliva was collected for 5 min in graduated test tubes fitted with a funnel while mean salivary flow rates were calculated. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: In the present study, differences between mean unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates with TENS were found to be statistically significant for both genders (P < 0.001). Furthermore, in relation to age groups included, maximum increase in salivary flow rate was seen in 20–29 years of age group, though significant results were seen in all three age groups included namely 20–29 years, 30–39 years, and 40–49 years (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on results from the present study, it could be concluded that TENS comes out to be a safer, nonpharmacological therapeutic option for treating patients with xerostomia.

Key-words:

Saliva - salivary glands - transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation - xerostomia

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.




Publication History

Received: 31 January 2021

Accepted: 03 August 2021

Article published online:
16 August 2022

© 2021. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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