A Randomized Controlled Trial of Aloe Vera versus Thyme Honey Oral Rinse in the Management of Xerostomia in Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Comparing the clinical efficacy of aloe vera versus thyme honey mouthwash in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with xerostomia. Materials and methods: A single-blinded randomized trial, including 45 T2D patients, was divided into 3 equal groups. The first group was given aloe vera mouthwash, the second group used thyme honey mouthwash, and the control group was given saline. All followed the same protocol (3 times daily for 4 weeks). These parameters [subjective xerostomia scores, unstimulated salivary flow rate, salivary nitric oxide (NO) levels, and xerostomia-related quality of life questionnaire (XeQoLS)] were evaluated for all groups at different intervals. Results: Subjective xerostomia scores showed significant differences between all groups (p < 0.001). After 4 weeks, the highest value was in saline (2.80 ± 0.86), followed by aloe vera (1.47 ± 1.06), while the lowest value was in thyme honey (1.27 ± 1.03). After 4 weeks there was a significant difference between groups regarding the salivary flow rate (p < 0.001): the highest value was in thyme honey (0.18 ± 0.16), followed by aloe vera (0.17 ± 0.14), while the lowest value was in saline (0.04 ± 0.02). Salivary NO levels had the highest value in thyme honey (96908.67 ± 21115.55), followed by aloe vera (87821.33 ± 34606.48), while the lowest value was in saline (16396.47 ± 4091.94). There was a significant increase in XeQoLS after 4 weeks (p < 0.001) for aloe vera and thyme honey while saline showed moderate satisfaction levels (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Thyme honey’s effectiveness proved noteworthy compared to aloe vera and saline in managing xerostomia in T2D patients.