Research from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan shows that auricular (ear) acupuncture can improve dry mouth symptoms in older adults. A total of 75 such adults were randomised to receive eight weeks of either true ear acupuncture or sham ear acupuncture. After eight weeks of treatment, the true acupuncture group reported significantly improved dry mouth, ease of speaking, swallowing, amount of saliva, dry throat and thirst, compared with the control group. They also demonstrated higher objective saliva flow than the control group.
(Efficacy of auricular acupuncture in improving dry mouth among an institutionalised older population: A randomised controlled study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 3 February 2023.)