Hijama (wet cupping therapy) enhances oral and dental health by improving salivary secretion volume and pH in adult patients at King Abdul Aziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, KSA: A controlled trial study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the potential effect of Hijama in promoting oral health by analyzing its effects in modulating saliva flow and pH. METHOD: An open-label, non-randomized controlled trial design was conducted at the Hijama clinic of Y.A. Jameel Scientific Chair of Prophetic Medical Applications at King Abdul Aziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, KSA. Forty-one healthy volunteers were divided into two groups: Hijama (intervention, N = 21) and control (N = 20). Saliva volume and pH were measured in salivary samples collected in a standardized fashion, 1 h before admission to the Hijama room (pre-Hijama) and 30 min after the procedure (post-Hijama) in both groups. The Hijama group underwent an additional salivary collection 7 days after Hijama. RESULT: Early post-Hijama assessment showed an increase in saliva volume by an average of 1 mL in the Hijama group, whereas that in the control group decreased by 0.6 mL (p < 0.001; large effect size, Cohen's d = 1.24). Saliva pH also increased in the Hijama group by an average 0.22 but decreased by 0.08 in controls (p < 0.001; large effect size, Cohen's d = 1.22). The multivariate model demonstrated that Hijama explained 48.8% of the variability of both pH and volume together (group × time effect, eta squared = 0.488, p < 0.001), whereas time and sex had no effect. At 7 days post-Hijama, both the volume and pH of saliva had increased in the Hijama group with respect to the early post-Hijama time point; however, only the volume increase was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Hijama enhanced salivary function and induced a significant increase in saliva volume and pH, which was maintained 7 days after the intervention. Further studies are warranted to identify other effects of Hijama on salivary glands and explore its long-term efficacy and clinical applications.