Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Oral medicineXerostomia and salivary hypofunction in vulnerable elders: prevalence and etiology
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
To ensure the comprehensive retrieval of all relevant research, the services of an experienced library scientist were enlisted. One of the authors (M.D.) duplicated the search for accuracy. Search strategies were conducted in PubMed only (from 1989 to May 2010), and the search was expanded to include salivary hypofunction, dry mouth, and salivary dysfunction. The following MeSH headings were individually combined with this prior category using boolean operators: demographics, epidemiology,
Prevalence of xerostomia and SGH in VE
Our literature search resulted in studies on VE, including community dwelling elders, institutionalized elders, and elders with various medical conditions. Table I summarizes the results. Studies conducted in the general public are also included for reference.
The prevalence of xerostomia in the general public ranged from 5.5% to 39%, and prevalence among community-dwelling elders ranged from 17% to 40%. In the institutionalized elders, the prevalence ranged from 20% to 72%. In the elders
Discussion
Current research clearly demonstrates that VE are at a higher risk of suffering from subjective and objective oral dryness owing to the characteristics of this unique population. All predisposing factors of dry mouth may work synergistically to create a “perfect storm” for the VE and clinicians to manage.
The “vulnerability” of VE includes medication and polypharmacy, diseases and conditions, age, reduced salivary capacity, being female, and limited resources. As stressed by Locker, these
References (80)
- et al.
Dry eyes or mouth—an epidemiological study in Swedish adults, with special reference to primary Sjogren's syndrome
J Autoimmun
(1989) - et al.
Xerostomia in patients with advanced cancer
J Pain Symptom Manage
(2001) - et al.
Principles of surgical risk assessment of the elderly patient
J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(1990) - et al.
Is reduced salivary flow normal in old people?
Lancet
(1990) - et al.
Parotid gland–sparing 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy results in less severe dry mouth in nasopharyngeal cancer patients: a dosimetric and clinical comparison with conventional radiotherapy
Radiother Oncol
(2005) - et al.
The establishment of a xerostomia clinic: a prospective study
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg
(1997) - et al.
Oral health status of southern Chinese following head and neck irradiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma
J Dent
(1999) - et al.
Partial irradiation of the parotid gland
Semin Radiat Oncol
(2001) - et al.
Oral dryness and peripheral neuropathy in subjects with type 2 diabetes
J Diabetes Complications
(2003) - et al.
A longitudinal analysis of salivary flow in control subjects and older adults with type 2 diabetes
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod
(2001)
Salivary hypofunction in patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy
Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol
Impact of xerostomia on oral complaints in a group of elderly Turkish removable denture wearers
Arch Gerontol Geriatr
Using the modified Schirmer test to measure mouth dryness: a preliminary study
J Am Dent Assoc
The xerostomia inventory: a multi-item approach to measuring dry mouth
Community Dent Health
Dry mouth and its effects on the oral health of elderly people
J Am Dent Assoc
Dry mouth: aging and oral health
Compend Contin Educ Dent
Age and medication are significant risk factors for xerostomia in an English population, attending general dental practice
Gerodontology
Prevalence of perceived symptoms of dry mouth in an adult Swedish population—relation to age, sex and pharmacotherapy
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol
Mouth dryness as reported by older Floridians
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol
A 15-yr longitudinal study of xerostomia in a Swedish population of 50-yr-old subjects
Eur J Oral Sci
Prevalence of symptoms of dry mouth and their relationship to saliva production in community dwelling elderly: the SEE projectSalisbury Eye Evaluation
J Rheumatol
Xerostomia and associated factors in a community-dwelling adult population
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol
Subjective reports of oral dryness in an older adult population
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol
Salivary conditions and cariogenic microorganisms in 55, 65, and 75-year-old Swedish individuals
Scand J Dent Res
Self-perceived oral function in elderly residents in a suburban area of Stockholm, Sweden
Oral Health Prev Dent
The occurrence of xerostomia and salivary gland hypofunction in a population-based sample of older South Australians
Spec Care Dentist
Hyposalivatory drug use, whole stimulated salivary flow, and mouth dryness in older, long-term care residents
Spec Care Dentist
Xerostomia, xerogenic medications and food avoidances in selected geriatric groups
J Am Geriatr Soc
Socio-medical condition and oral functional status in an older institutionalised population
Gerodontology
Medication and perception of dry mouth in a population of institutionalised elderly people
N Z Med J
Oral health conditions of community-dwelling cognitively intact elderly persons with disabilities
Gerodontology
Associations between self-assessed masticatory ability, nutritional status, prosthetic status and salivary flow rate in hospitalized elders
Oral Dis
Caries activity and associated risk factors in elderly hospitalised population—15-months follow-up in French institutions
Gerodontology
Oral and nutritional status in frail elderly
Spec Care Dentist
Salivary flow and its relation with oral symptoms in terminally ill patients
Cancer
Oral health status of 207 head and neck cancer patients before, during and after radiotherapy
Clin Oral Investig
The dental awareness and needs of a Parkinson's disease population
Gerodontology
Xerostomia, hyposalivation, and oral microbiota in type 2 diabetic patients: a preliminary study
J Med Assoc Thai
Associations between xerostomia and health status indicators in the elderly
J R Soc Promot Health
A quantitative study of histological changes in the human parotid gland occurring with adult age
J Oral Pathol
Cited by (130)
Senescence and fibrosis in salivary gland aging and disease
2024, Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial ResearchClaims analysis of Medicare fee-for-service oral health care encounters, from 2019 through 2021
2023, Journal of the American Dental AssociationStability and cytotoxicity of biopolymer-coated liposomes for use in the oral cavity
2023, International Journal of Pharmaceutics