Prevalence of dry mouth (xerostomia) and hyposalivation in individuals with no oro-dental complications in Shiraz, Iran

Background and aim: Saliva is one of the most important body fluids. The lack of this fluid has many outcomes for the patient. The aim of this study was to detect objective and subjective dry mouth in individuals with no oro-dental complications in Shiraz, Iran, and compare these factors to depression level, medication intake, and level of education. Methods: In this cross-sectional study the sample was chosen from individuals who accompanied patients referred to Shiraz dental school who were over 18. In this study, Fox questionnaire was used to assess xerostomia (subjective oral dryness) and Zung self-rating scale was used to assess depression. To assess stimulated and unstimulated hyposalivation (objective oral dryness) the spitting method was used. Stimulated hyposalivation was found when saliva rates were < 0.1 gr/min and unstimulated hyposalivation was found when saliva rates were < 0.7 gr/min. Results: In this study, we assessed 399 patients (118 males, 280 females). Xerostomia was found in 46% of the population. Nevertheless, 18.5% had unstimulated hyposalivation and 12.3% had stimulated hyposalivation. Patients aged 30-45 years old were mostly suffering from subjective and objective oral dryness (P=0.032, P=0.048). Depression, use of antihypertensive and anti-diabetic medication, and low levels of education were significantly related to hyposalivation (P=0.038, P<0.01, P<0.01). Conclusion: Subjective dry mouth can occur in contrast to objective dry mouth. Moreover, oral dryness as an objective and subjective symptom is not only detected in older individuals but young adults can also be suffering from this phenomenon. Dental practitioners and physicians must be familiar with the factors inducing this complication such as depression, medication and education level as a debilitating and destructive condition affecting all age ranges.