Abstract
Objectives: Several methods and instruments have been developed forexamining xerostomia. However, the test results of patients who complain of oral dryness are not always consistent with their perceiveddegree of dryness. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine which objective parameters bestcorrespond to the subjective snsation of oral dryness, with special emphasis on its diurnal variation.
Methods: Twenty healthy adult subjects (mean age 28.3±2.7 years) with no specific complaints of oraldryness were included in this study. A questionnaire was given to the subjects toassess their degree oforal dryness. In addition, three obective dryness tests were performed at different times during the studyperiod: oral mucosal moisture measurement, saliva wet test and unstimulated whole saliva flow rate.Measurements were performed at ten specific times during the evaluation period: before going to bed (the1st night), just after getting up (the next morning), before and after each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner), before going to bed (2nd night) and againjust after getting up (2nd morning).
Depending on whether or not they experiencedoral dryness, subjects were divided into dry (2 or moreepisodes of dryness as indicated in the questionnaire) or nondry groups. In the dry group, objective parameters were compared between the times the subjects felt dryness and those when hey felt no dryness.
Results: There were significant diurnal variations in every objective dryness test, the variation depending on the individual. In the “dry” group, there were significant differences in values of the unstimulatedsaliva flow rate between the instances when the subjects did and did not feel oral dryness (p<0.01).
Conclusion: Unstimulated saliva flow rate is probably the most suitable objective parameter for assess-ing subjective oral dryness. Individualization of the appropriate time for performing this test should bedone, taking into consideration each individual's dryness pattern.
