Effectiveness of Thyme Honey in Management of Xerostomia in ESRD

The oral health of older people has warranted considerable research attention in the last two to three decades. One of the most oral conditions that have been related to the elderly patients was xerostomia.

An elderly population that has a high rate of comorbid disease is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Among these pathologies, End stage renal disease (ESRD) stands out as a common serious age-related disease. ESRD is a chronic irreversible renal failure. It is known also as chronic kidney disease (CKD) Stage 6 or CKD 6. Xerostomia is relatively common in patients having ESRD with prevalence ranging from 28% to 67%.

Multiple pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures that have been tested in previous studies in order to improve xerostomia in patients with ESRD which were based on the stimulation of the salivary gland flow.

A new alternative for the control of xerostomia is the use of thyme honey, which is a propolis gel product with strong antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and immunomodulation effect. It is believed that the presence of honey in the oral cavity has a sialagogue effect, stimulating the salivary glands to produce more saliva, due to the high sugar concentration in honey.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether the use of thyme honey as mouth rinse will help in the treatment of xerostomia in geriatric patients with end-stage renal disease (symptom management).

Most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis (HD) have to maintain a fluid-restricted diet in order to prevent fluid overload between dialysis sessions. . However, compliance to the fluid restriction is also influenced by other factors, such as hormonal derangements, social and psychological changes, thirst and xerostomia.

Xerostomia in ESRD is a multifactorial phenomenon and various mechanisms contribute to its development as direct uremic involvement of salivary glands, atrophy and fibrosis of the salivary glands, chemical inflammation, dehydration, mouth breathing. The other conditions that may cause dry mouth in uremic patients are retrograde parotitis, metabolic abnormalities, use of diuretics and due to inability of kidneys to reabsorb sodium and the resultant polyuria.

Xerostomia, the subjective feeling of oral dryness, is a symptom most frequently accompanied by either decreased salivary flow or an altered composition of saliva. Hyposalivation, on the other hand, is the objective measured reduction in salivary flow rate. Xerostomia is a relatively common complaint, particularly among older people, and can lead to major consequences with regard to the quality of their general and oral health and wellbeing.

Xerostomia has a variety of possible etiological factors; it is generally classified as having primary and secondary causes. Primary causes comprise conditions that directly affect the salivary glands and induce xerostomia like, Sjogren's syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2, thyroid disease, adrenal pathology, renal or hepatic diseases, hepatitis C virus infection, and HIV disease.

Secondary causes of xerostomia include the side-effects of radiation therapy or chemotherapy, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, mixed connective tissues diseases, systemic lupus erythematous, graft versus host disease, anorexia, alcohol and smoking and commonly prescribed drugs (\>500 medications reportedly cause dry mouth). The most common medications causing hyposalivation are those with anticholinergic activity, sympathomimetics, and benzodiazepines. The risk of xerostomia increases with the synergistic effects of xerogenic medications, multiple medications, higher doses of medication, and the duration of the medication.

Saliva plays an important role in maintaining the physiological homeostasis of the oral cavity. In addition to humidifying the oral tissues, its lubricating properties aid in swallowing and talking, and also prevent damage due to mechanical agents. Saliva contains a variety of electrolytes, peptides, glycoproteins, enzymes, immunoglobulin A, amines, and leucocytes.

Owing to the multiple functions of saliva, hyposalivation leads to speech problems, taste disorders, chewing and swallowing difficulties, ill-fitting dentures and consequently poor qualities of life. Furthermore, hyposalivation results in decreased oral clearance, declined salivary pH and buffering capacity, and reduced immune defenses. These symptoms may increase risks of developing infectious oral diseases such as cervical caries, periodontitis and oral candidiasis.

Among saliva constituents, the nitric oxide (NO) is a biochemical marker that involved in both physiological and pathological processes of the salivary glands. High concentrations of nitrate and nitrite (stable metabolites of NO) in normal saliva may ensure potentially protective effects, such as antibacterial properties, increased mucosal blood flow, and oral mucus production.

Multiple pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures that have been tested in previous studies in order to improve xerostomia in patients with ESRD which were based on the stimulation of the salivary gland flow. Salivary glands can be stimulated to produce saliva mechanically (for example, by chewing gum, using different formulated mouthwashes or acupressure) or through medications (such as pilocarpine, cevimeline, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor antagonists.

Overall, the available interventions do not appear to provide an effective, comprehensive and long-term management of xerostomia. This has strengthened the need for further investigation of other interventions for the management of xerostomia.

A new alternative for the control of xerostomia is the use of thyme honey, which is a propolis gel product with strong antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and immunomodulation effect. It is believed that the presence of honey in the oral cavity has a sialagogue effect, stimulating the salivary glands to produce more saliva, due to the high sugar concentration in honey.

Honey has been used historically for its medicinal properties. It has been used to heal burns, surgical wounds, and oral infections because of its antibacterial and analgesic agents and epithelialization boosting effect. Honey has no side effects like other pharmaceutical drugs due to its properties.

As Egypt is considered a low-income country, therefore, the general properties of ideal saliva substitutes to be used should be inexpensive, edible, hydrating, safe-to-swallow but retainable in the mouth.

Given the importance of the oral health status of older people with ESRD associated with xerostomia and thinking that the saliva substitutes or stimulants could potentially be used to decrease this complaint, thus, the urge to drink in hemodialysis patients. This may increase compliance to the fluid-restricted diet and could, subsequently, result in improvement in their quality of life. This study is designed to evaluate the efficiency of different and natural treatment as thyme honey in management of geriatric Egyptian patients with xerostomia and its association to the level of salivary nitric oxide.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Both genders, of minimum 61 years.

  * All patients must be clinically diagnosed of ESRD undergoing hemodialysis.
  * Patients on hemodialysis ≥ 3 months (Bots et al., 2005).
  * All patients must have complaint of xerostomia.
  * Objective dry mouth score from ( 2-5).
  * Subjective dry mouth score from (1-4).
  * Patients must be able to make reliable decision or communications.

Exclusion Criteria:

* - Smoking, Alcohol. Healthy patients.
* Patient with history of any serious illness as malignancy, who undergo kidney transplant.
* Patients with any autoimmune disease.
* Patients with diabetes mellitus (Charalambous et al., 2017).
* Vulnerable groups such as pregnant females, prisoners, mentally and physically handicapped individuals.
* Known hypersensitivity or severe adverse effects to the treatment drugs or to any ingredient of their preparation.