Abstract
We examined the correlation between the feeling of dry mouth as assessed by a questionnaire and the amount of salivation as determined by a chewing gum test in 122 inpatients (57 males and 65 females) with Type 2 diabetes mellitus who were enrolled in an educational program.
The results indicated that 65 subjects (53.3%) experienced dry mouth. The number of patients who had a salivation level lower than normal was high (101 patients, 82.2%). The salivation level was low in 84.2% of the patients without dry mouth and 81.5% of those with dry mouth; these percentages were similar. There was apparently no correlation between the amount of salivation and a feeling of dry mouth.
The effects of the following factors on salivation were examined: sex, age, diabetes treatment, and concurrent disease (diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, and atherosclerotic disease). For all categories, the proportion of patients with a decreased salivation level was higher than that of patients with a normal salivation level, regardless of whether or not they experienced dry mouth.
