The relationship between xerostomia and diabetes mellitus: a little known complication.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a highly prevalent disease worldwide which currently affects 347 million people according to the World Health Organization. There are complications of diabetes which are little known either to healthcare professionals or to the patients themselves, including periodontal disease and other manifestations in the oral cavity such as xerostomia, a burning sensation, and increased infection. The aim of this study was to assess whether patients with DM have a greater frequency of xerostomia. A descriptive study was conducted in 200 patients, 100 with DM and 100 with no DM, who attended the outpatient endocrinology clinic of the hospital from January 2012 to January 2013. Patients gave their written informed consent to participate in this study. Study variables included age, sex, type of DM, time since the onset of DM, and glycosylated hemoglobin. As the dependent variable, the frequency of symptoms which have been related to the presence of xerostomia was assessed using the Xerostomia Inventory, translated into Spanish from the original English version. This consists of 11 questions on symptoms related to dry mouth. Answers to each of the questions were ‘‘hardly ever’’ (1 point), ‘‘occasionally’’ (2 points), and ‘‘fairly often/very often’’ (3 points). The patients completed the questionnaire after the medical visit as previously instructed by the physician in charge. Laboratory tests were always performed after fasting for 12 h. Exclusion criteria included: age older than 65 years, smoking, the use of drugs related to the occurrence of xerostomia, a history of radiation to the head and neck, and diseases causing dry mouth. The statistical software used was SPSS version 15.0. Quantitative variables are given as mean and standard deviation, and dichotomic variables as percentages. Student’s t test was