# Orthonasal bioactive volatiles and their effects on salivation: a pilot study

## TL;DR

This pilot study found that basil and guaiacol volatiles, when inhaled nasally, increased saliva production and improved oral moisture in healthy individuals.

## Contribution

The study introduces nasal inhalers as a standardized method to deliver sialagogic volatiles and identifies basil as a promising candidate for dry-mouth treatment.

## Key findings

- Basil and guaiacol volatiles significantly increased salivary flow in healthy individuals.
- Basil improved the feeling of oral moistness compared to baseline.
- Nasal inhalers showed no placebo effect in the tested population.

## Abstract

Previous findings showed that nasal exposure to mastic resin volatiles stimulated salivary flow both in healthy volunteers and dry-mouth patients. This prompted the search for new volatile sialagogic compounds as well as other, more standardized delivery methods. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the sialagogic effects of α-pinene, basil, eugenol, and guaiacol volatiles using nasal inhalers.

α-Pinene, basil, eugenol, and guaiacol volatiles were administered using nasal inhalers to act as an olfactory stimulus in healthy individuals (n = 12). Salivary flow, spinnbarkeit, and subjective mouthfeel were assessed before and after the use of the compounds. Furthermore, the possible effect of placebo nasal inhalers on salivary flow was also assessed.

Stimulation with basil and guaiacol applied with nasal inhalers resulted in an increase in salivary flow (p ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, basil improved the feeling of moistness in the oral cavity (p < 0.05). The use of nasal inhalers did not reveal any placebo effect in healthy individuals.

These findings demonstrate that nasal inhalation of basil volatiles can effectively enhance salivary secretion and improve the sensation of oral moisture. This suggests basil in particular being a promising candidate for developing new topical treatment for dry mouth. Further studies with larger cohorts and clinical trials in dry-mouth patients are necessary to confirm and extend these results.