Relationship between spinability of saliva and subjective symptoms in the patients complaining of dry mouth.

Abstract

Recently, the number of patients who complain of dry mouth is increasing. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between spinability of saliva measured by the NEVA METER, a novel apparatus developed by our project and subjective symptoms in 92 patients who have dry mouth examinations. Higher spinability of saliva was found in the patients with symptoms such as xerostomia, dysphagia, sticky mouth and burning tongue compared with patients without such symptoms. These results suggest that the NEVA METER reflects clinical signs of oral mucosa and tongue, and is useful as an apparatus for dry mouth examinations.