Effectiveness of Thyme Honey in Management of Xerostomia in Post Radiation Cancer Patients

Xerostomia is the most frequent complication among patients who receive radiotherapy (RT) . The prevalence of xerostomia has been reported to be from 73.5% to 93% (Kakoei S.,2012). Damage to normal tissues can result by radiotherapy as it is not selective to cancer cells, and so affecting the quality of life of patients. Honey is one of the methods studied by CIM for management of HNC treatment side effects due to its properties. (Brennan et al., 2002; Clarkson et al., 2007; Furness et al., 2011;Hackett et al., 2015). Thyme honey is a new alternative for management of xerostomia, which is a propolis gel product. Thyme honey is a variety of monofloral honey made from the nectar and pollen of thyme flowers. It has a strong antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and immuno modulating health effects. Due to the high sugar concentration in honey, it is believed that its presence in the oral cavity has a sialogogue effect, stimulating the salivary glands to produce saliva.