Pycnogenol Found To Help Improve Dry Mouth Symptoms

Dry mouth occurs when the salivary glands in the mouth don't make enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. A new study suggests that supplementation with Pycnogenol (French maritime pine bark extract) may help increase saliva production and alleviate some symptoms of dry mouth.

Forty-eight adults participated in the study. Half of them had diabetes and half did not. Twelve participants with diabetes and twelve participants without diabetes took 150 mg of Pycnogenol daily for 2 weeks. The other twelve diabetics and twelve non-diabetics took a placebo. The researchers used ultrasound to examine the salivary glands and administered a chewing test to measure saliva production.

Salivary flow and oxidative stress improved significantly in all the participants who took Pycnogenol. The number of mouth sores and ulcerations were reduced by 69% in non-diabetics and by 58% in diabetics in the Pycnogenol group, compared to 3% and 12% respectively in the placebo group.

Non-diabetic participants in the Pycnogenol group also saw an 82% improvement in salivary production, compared to no improvement in the placebo group. Mouth dryness improved by 66%, compared to 3% in the placebo group.

Diabetic participants in the Pycnogenol group saw a 70% improvement in salivary production, compared to no improvement in the placebo group. Mouth dryness improved by 63%, compared to 6% in the placebo group.

The study was conducted by researchers from d’Annunzio University. It was published in the December 2020 edition of the journal Minerva Stomatologica.