Frequency of subjective dry mouth and burning mouth syndrome in elder residents of sanitariums in Tehran, 2005

Frequency of subjective dry mouth and burning mouth syndrome in elder residents of sanitariums in Tehran, 2005 Dr. M. Baharvand* - Dr. F. Hemmati** *- Assistant Professor of Oral Medicine Dept. - Faculty of Dentistry – Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. **- Dentist. Background and Aim: Xerostomia and burning mouth syndrome are two relatively common complaints mostly encountered during adult age. They may have a great impact on the quality of life and become a serious health problem for patients. This study was designed to determine the frequency of subjective dry mouth and burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in elder residents of sanitariums in Tehran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional investigation, the study group consisted of elderly adults (65years and over), residing in twenty seven of the 36 sanitariums in Tehran. 499 volunteers (308 women and 191 men) underwent medical examination. Diagnosis was based on the patients' complaints of both subjective dry mouth (SDM) and BMS. No obvious oral lesion was detected in the BMS cases. Results: 124 (24.8%) individuals were classified as having subjective oral dryness and BMS. SDM and BMS were seen in 121(24.2%) and 39 (7.8%) of the 499 cases, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed between women (27.9%) and men (18.3%) with SDM (P=0.026), but not BMS (9.1% female, 5.8 male). Conclusion: Subjective dry mouth and burning mouth syndrome are relatively frequent problems in elderly residents of sanitariums in Tehran. A higher percentage of females are involved as compared to males. Key words: Burning mouth syndrome - Sanitarium - Xerostomia