A European Commission funded project (“Saliwell”) has developed an intra-oral electro-stimulator of salivary glands to treat dry mouth. The device, named “GenNarino”, is a removable appliance, combining micro-electronics, battery, software and wireless communication, and applies stimulating signals on the lingual nerve through two small electrodes, leading to enhanced salivary secretion. By doing so, the objective is to execute the most efficient means to treat dry mouth and its consequences.

A previous short-term clinical trial has shown statistically significant improvement in patients’ oral wetness and symptoms, and no side-effects. In an on-going long-term randomized multi-national clinical trial, the use of the device is compared between active vs sham mode for one month each in a double-blind design. Thereafter, the xerostomia relieving effect is compared between different lengths of usage (1, 5 or 10 min) of the active device, for additional 9 months. At least 100 xerostomia patients were evaluated. VAS-based questionnaires of the first 40 patients show improvement in a variety of parameters, such as quality of life and sleeping, oral dryness and comfort, speech and swallowing. These results are confirming the efficacy of this device in the relief of xerostomia.

Conflict of interest: None declared.