Evaluation of photobiomodulation in the salivary production of patients with xerostomy induced by antihypertensive drugs – A blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial

Background Arterial hypertension is a systemic condition that affects about 35% of the world population. The drugs that are used for its control can produce hyposalivation. This work evaluated the effect of photobiomodulation on salivary flow rate, salivary pH, total protein concentration, and calcium concentration in individuals using antihypertensive medications. Material and methods 41 subjects were randomly allocated in one of two groups: control (placebo) and photobiomodulation. The subjects had their salivary glands (20 sites) irradiated with a laser emitting at 808nm, 4J/site once a week for 4 weeks and had their salivary flow measured before and after the whole treatment. Results The intragroup analysis (before and after treatment) shows a significant difference for both non-stimulated and stimulated salivary flow in the photobiomodulation group (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.0001, respectively). Comparing the placebo with the photobiomodulation group, significant differences were found for both non-stimulated (p = 0.0441) and stimulated salivary flow (p = 0.0441) after the treatment. No significant differences were found in pH, total protein concentration, calcium concentration. Conclusion Despite the usage of drugs that influence the nervous system and typically result in a reduction of saliva production, photobiomodulation demonstrated a remarkable ability to enhance saliva production by a significant 75%.