**1. Introduction**

When we treat patients with reduced salivation (hyposalivation), we provide treatments such as artificial saliva, humectant, massage on the salivary glands, and so on [1]. However, treatment *with* the artificial saliva and humectant is the symptomatic treatment, and patients with handicaps *experience difficulties when they do massage*. We previously reported about *the* relationship between facial vibratory effects in normal subjects and promotion of salivation. *We performed this method* for facial vibratory effects *on* Sjögren's syndrome patients with poor salivation. We focused *on increase of* salivation with the use of facial vibrotactile stimulation, as reported by Hiraba et al. [2, 9, 10].

When patients continuously utilize the apparatus in future *the decrease or increase of salivation is examined from this result* [3]. *In this experiment*, it was necessary to make a comparison between the resting and *stimulated* salivations and to investigate the most effective frequency for increasing the salivary secretion. We examined the amount of salivation during vibrotactile stimuli with one vibrating motor (1.9 μm amplitude) on the bilateral masseter muscle belly (on the parotid glands), and in patients of Sjögren's syndrome, we asked twice practice during 15 min of morning and night. Furthermore, *the* amount of salivation *was* explored by using a dental cotton roll positioned at the opening of the secretory duct for *3 min*. After this experiment was performed, *we made* a comparison between the resting and *stimulated* salivations and *investigated* the most effective frequency for increasing salivary secretion. *When we examined normal subjects, the effect of the increased salivation determined the difference between the resting and stimulated salivations. We think that total salivation after the resting phase shows conditions of day-to-day salivation, and they after the stimulating are effects of vibrotactile stimulation.*

We defined 5-min intervals as the recovery time between the resting and *stimulated* salivations from the previous pre-examinations. Furthermore, we examined temperature effects *on* patients with poor salivations (affected by Sjogren's syndrome) and others by the use of facial vibrotactile stimuli. Increased facial temperature by the vibrotactile stimulation showed changes of metabolism around facial skins. We will discuss the effects of vibrotactile stimulation based on these results.

of three parts: the pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit, LCD monitor circuit and power supply circuit, and *interfaces* with a PWN electric motor, *delivers* vibration frequencies in the

Salivary Effects of Facial Vibrotactile Stimulation in Patients with Sjogren's Syndrome and Poor Salivation

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72383

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As shown in **Figure 1**, we examined the amount of salivation during vibrotactile stimuli by two kinds of methods: on the bilateral masseter muscles belly (parotid glands) and on the bilateral parts of submandibular angle (submandibular glands). We examined the amount of salivation using a dental cotton roll (1 cm across and 3 cm length) positioned at the opening of the secretory ducts (right and left sides of parotid glands and right and left sides of submandibular and sublingual glands), during the vibrotactile stimuli on the bilateral parotid and submandibular glands, and wet cotton rolls measured for 3 min. These weights were then

First, we use three different frequencies, 89, 114 and 180 Hz as the vibrotactile frequency from the character of the oscillating body on the parotid glands. **Figure 1** *shows the apparatus and position of rolls. To begin with, we put an exercise into practice for avoiding foreign-body sensation on the cotton rolls while setting for 3 min.* Next, after 5 min of *resting,* we examined the amount of salivation during the 89 Hz vibrotactile stimulation for 3 min. *Furthermore, after every 5 min of rest, we examined next amount of salivation during the 114 and 180 Hz vibrotactile stimuli for 3 min, respectively.* We decided on 3 min *for* the measurement *of* salivation and 5 min *for* recovery

compared to their initiatory weights, as shown in **Figure 1B** [2].

**Figure 1.** (A) Apparatus for facial vibration and (B) position of cotton rolls.

**2.2. Estimation of the stimulating salivation in normal subjects**

60–182 Hz range [4].
