Israeli project develops novel solution to dry mouth
2/28/2005 David Brinn Israel21c (www.israel21c.org Most of us may suffer dry mouth from time to time. But for 80 million people in the developed world who suffer from the condition - technically known as xerostomia - it is a permanent condition caused by a lack of lubrication in the mouth Now an Israeli undertaking - under the project name Saliwell - has developed a removable device called the GenNarino that stimulate saliva production through electro-stimulation. "Our devices apply a low energy level of electricity to the right nerves that lead to a higher level of saliva secretion," explained Dr Andy Wolff, Saliwell project coordinator at Assuta Medical Centers in Israel. Xerostomia is defined as the subjective feeling of dry mouth and is frequently associated with a reduction in salivary glands function.. It's a chronic and mostly irreversible condition induced as a side effect by over 500 types of medication used to treat chronic diseases (like hypertension, depression, etc.), and by radiation therapy for head & neck cancer patients. Xerostomia also is a typical symptom of some auto-immune diseases (Sjögren?s syndrome is the most prominent) and other conditions. According to Wolff, salivary glands malfunction in the mouth for a number of reasons. These include diseases such as autoimmune diseases and diabetes, treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy or from the side effects of medication. Those who are afflicted have the condition for life. They endure the many unpleasant aspects of xerostomia. "It disturbs their speech, their swallowing, tasting," explains Wolff. "It wakes [...]