What do systematic reviews say?

Amifostine vs no treatment/placebo

It is very uncertain whether amifostine changes salivary flow rate (mg/5 min, unstimulated) compared with no treatment/placebo (very low certainty).

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months postRT
  MD 0.32 [0.09, 0.55]
  1 study · 27 participants
  Very low
• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  End of RT
  MD 0.34 [0.07, 0.61]
  83 participants
  GRADE not reported

Pilocarpine vs no treatment/placebo

It is very uncertain whether pilocarpine changes salivary flow rate (unstimulated) compared with no treatment/placebo (very low certainty).

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Up to and including 3 months postRT
  MD -0.06 [-0.23, 0.11]
  1 study · 24 participants
  Very low

Biperiden plus pilocarpine vs no treatment

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  End of RT
  Insufficient evidence, from a single trial of 60 participants, to determine the effect on unstimulated salivary flow rate at the end of RT (Rode 1999; Analysis 2.1)
  1 study · 60 participants
  GRADE not reported

Amifostine vs no treatment/placebo

Amifostine led to higher salivary flow rate (incidence of > 0.1 g saliva/5 min, unstimulated) compared with no treatment/placebo; GRADE not reported.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months postRT
  RR 1.45 [1.13, 1.86]
  1 study · 175 participants
  GRADE not reported