[Botox injections in salivary glands in Parkinson's disease]

A 62-year-old lady is referred to a geriatric dentist because of sudden increased caries activity. She is suffering from Parkinson's disease. Saliva loss, or drooling, had such a negative impact on her quality of life that,she had been treated with Botox injections into her glandula parotis on both sides on referral from the neurologist until about a year ago. Hhyposalivation as a side effect of her medication in combination with the Botox injections likely caused increased caries activity. The risks of therapies to reduce salivary flow should be made known to doctors and dentists. Saliva testing should always be done before starting such a therapy and when such therapy is started, the use of additional fluoride measures is very important.