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Efficacy of the BioXtra dry mouth care system in the treatment of radiotherapy-induced xerostomia

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Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Xerostomia is a common complication of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Symptomatic treatment consists of stringent oral hygiene to prevent oral infections and saliva substitutes to increase comfort. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the BioXtra (BX) dry mouth care system.

Materials and methods

A xerostomia questionnaire consisting of 3 parts (xerostomia symptom score, quality of life (QoL) survey and visual analogue scale (VAS)) was completed by 34 patients suffering from radiation-induced xerostomia, before and after 4 weeks of treatment with the BioXtra moisturizing gel, toothpaste and mouthwash.

Results

The BioXtra products significantly diminished the most common symptoms of xerostomia. Mean VAS score at the start of treatment was 59.8. After treatment, this decreased to 36.4 (p < 0.001). Twenty-six patients (77%) responded to treatment, 11 of these patients (32%) reported a major improvement. Quality of life significantly improved under treatment: mean QoL score at the start was 59.4; this increased to 70.5 (p < 0.001). None of the 34 patients reported any adverse effects and all but 1 patient found the BX dry mouth care system easy to use.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that the BioXtra dry mouth care system is effective in reducing the symptoms of radiation-induced xerostomia and improving the quality of life of xerostomia patients, even if a proportion of the benefit is due to a placebo effect. However, further research is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of BioXtra on oral health.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker (VLK) and the Klinisch Onderzoeksfonds (KOF). The firm Bio-X Healthcare (manufacturer of the BioXtra dry mouth care system) provided all the products free of charge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuvens Kanker Instituut (LKI), University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Piet Dirix, Sandra Nuyts & Walter Van den Bogaert

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Leuvens Kanker Instituut (LKI), University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium

    Vincent Vander Poorten & Pierre Delaere

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  1. Piet Dirix
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  2. Sandra Nuyts
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  3. Vincent Vander Poorten
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  4. Pierre Delaere
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  5. Walter Van den Bogaert
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Correspondence to Piet Dirix.

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Dirix, P., Nuyts, S., Vander Poorten, V. et al. Efficacy of the BioXtra dry mouth care system in the treatment of radiotherapy-induced xerostomia. Support Care Cancer 15, 1429–1436 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0210-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0210-y

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