Active clinical trials for "Xerostomia"

A study for head and neck cancer patients to evaluate the feasibility of combining salivary gland transfer surgical procedure and IMRT helical tomotherapy to reduce dryness of mouth.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of spray use on dry mouth and thirst of patients who had undergone major abdominal surgery. The methods used to alleviate the thirst and dry mouth experienced by patients undergoing major abdominal surgery are limited. This research was conducted as a randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this study is to determine if Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) therapy improves salivary gland function in previously head-and-neck irradiated patients. The following will be evaluated: salivary a-amylase, IGF-1, Thrombospondin-1, and VEGF-A concentrations, resting and stimulated salivary flow rate and pH, and salivary buffering capacity. Demographic data, past medical/surgical histories, social history and habits, risk factors, medication list, nutritional status, stage and location of tumor treated, dose/duration of radiation, and time elapsed since radiation treatment will be reviewed and recorded. Subjects will complete a quality of life questionnaire, describe (presence/absence) dry mouth symptoms prior to HBO therapy, and provide current A1c level, or submit to a finger stick. The following groups will be evaluated: 1. Head-and-neck irradiated subjects with ORN (indicating HBO therapy) 2. Subjects with other conditions indicating HBO therapy (positive control), and 3. Head-and-neck irradiated subjects without ORN (negative control). Subjects will include 78 males or females, 18 years old and over. In total, participation will last 22 weeks.

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the curative treatment of head and neck cancer. This treatment however is associated with significant acute and late toxicity with xerostomia and dysphagia severely implicating the patient's quality of life. With highly conformal radiotherapy techniques it is possible to decrease de dose to the organs at risk while maintaining adequate doses to the tumour. In order to adequately register the effect of these techniques it is imperative to obtain standardized information on the acute and late treatment effects. With this study the investigators want to evaluate this toxicity using standardized and validated questionnaires during follow-up. This data will then be correlated to the doses delivered to the specific organs at risk.

Attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) affect 6% of school-aged children. Few studies reported higher prevalence of caries and restorations among children with ADHD. Methylphenidate is the drug of choice to treat ADHD. according to the medical literature methylphenidate can cause xerostomia. Our study will investigate saliva parameters (such as quantity, bacteria in saliva, buffer capacity), oral hygiene and diet habits and their influence on caries among children with ADHD and among healthy children. Our hypothesis is: Children with ADHD will have more caries. Children with ADHD will have more detrimental oral hygiene and diet habits. There will be a difference in the saliva parameters between children with ADHD and healthy children.

The aim of this study is the evaluation of the frequency of xerostomia and their management after radiotherapy in head and neck cancer. The quality of life of these patients is also analysed with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life Questionnaire H&N35 (EORTC QLQ H&N35).

Radioiodine (I-131) therapy for thyroid disease is known to decrease salivary function in adult patients. The impact of pediatric I-131 exposure on salivary function is unknown. The investigators goals are to answer this question by measuring salivary gland function before and after I-131 administration in children who receive radioiodine therapy at our hospital for thyroid disease.

Salivary gland hypofunction, or dry mouth, is a damaging oral condition that affects salivary gland production. Absence of saliva causes bad breath, dental decay, increased plaque accumulation, dry lips, mouth sores, and the inability to retain dentures or removable protheses. This study will determine if patients with dry mouth have different periodontal health than patients without dry mouth. Additionally, this study will examine if patients who have their periodontal maintenance appointments solely at a periodontal speciality clinic have different periodontal health than patients who alternate their appointments between a specialty office and their general dental office.

The investigators questioned whether patients with dry mouth complaints display any reduction in residual saliva coating the gingiva and other selected mucosal surfaces. We further intended to test the hypothesis that Gingival Crevicular Fluid volume in patients with dry mouth could be different from that of control subjects. Correlations between gingival/mucosal wetness; and unstimulated whole salivary flow rate or minor salivary gland secretion rates and the correlations between clinical periodontal status and salivary measures were also attempted.

Assessment of oral and dental problems is seldom routine in clinical oncology, despite the potential negative impact of these problems on nutritional status, social function and quality of life (QoL). A brief, assessment tool for oral/dental health and related QoL-issues to improve symptom management has been requested. The present study will be conducted on behalf of and with support from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer - (EORTC) Quality of Life Group (QLG). The study represents phase IV, the final step, in the development of an international, symptom specific questionnaire module, focusing on oral and dental problems in relation to cancer and its treatment. Phase I-III of this stepwise development process was conducted from 2008 to 2011, as an international collaboration and conducted according to the guidelines for module development set forth by the EORTC QLG. The resulting module, the QLQ-OH17, is now subject to an international field testing and validation study as described in this project description. The present version of the QLQ-OH17 consists of 17 items conceptualized into four multi-item scales (pain/discomfort, xerostomia, eating and information) and three single items related to use of dentures and future worries. The aim of the present study is to conduct phase IV; an international field study to confirm the psychometric properties of the QLQ-OH17