Treatment of Patients Suffering from Glossalgia Accompanied by Xerostomia

Glossalgia is considered to be a pluricausal disease accompanied by paresthesia and tongue sensitivity disorder by the segmental type, combined with changes in salivation, taste and bulbar phenomena. Patients suffer from burning sensation, pin sensation, dry sore throat, and numbness of the tongue (as if the tongue is “peppered”, “burned”, etc.). Depression of salivary glands function is observed in patients suffering from paraesthesiae in the tongue frequently. These phenomena may be explained by the disorder of nerve and reflex pathways that ensure regulation of the secretory process and neurotransmission from the tongue surface. The treatment of patients suffering from glossalgia accompanied by xerostomia is complex and includes active cooperation of dentist, neurologist, endocrinologist and gastroenterologist. However, despite the variety of suggested methods and ways of this pathology treatment, all of them have an insufficient degree of efficiency. Therefore, the search of more efficient and perspective methods remains up to date. The objective of the research was to increase the efficiency of glossalgia treatment by affecting the secretory apparatus of major and minor salivary glands. 17 female patients at the age of 37-62 having severe xerostomia with glossalgia were examined and treated. The method of glossalgia accompanied by xerostomia treatment approved by the authors consisted of bougienage of parotid and submandibular salivary glands ducts, successive alternating administration of chlorhexidine solution and rose seed oil into glands twice a week during one month, electrophoresis of nivalin for major salivary glands (10 sessions every other day), prescription of “No-Spa” in the first 7 days from the initiation of treatment. It was objectively proved that the immediate results after the termination of treatment were characterized by increasing of general secretion, elimination of the tongue paresthesia in most patients. Thus, we consider the stimulation of secretory activity of salivary glands in patients suffering from glossalgia to be a necessary component of complex treatment of this category of patients.