2018 Volume 37 Issue 3 Pages 93-100
Objective The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between depression and hyposalivation.
Methods Data were obtained from 911 patients seen at the Dry Mouth Clinic at Tsurumi University Dental Hospital with complaints of dryness in the oral cavity. To determine the independent and combined effects of depression or antidepressant medications on salivary flow rates, differences among the groups with respect to depression and medication were first evaluated by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), patients were divided into 3 groups according to depression and anxiety scores (0-7, 8-10, and 11-21). Each of the 3 groups were further divided into 2 groups based on whether or not they were taking antidepressants. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between independent variables (gender, age, medication and HADS) to the saliva flow rate.
Results Two-way ANOVA revealed that depression scores had a significant correlation with saliva flow rates. However, there was no significant difference in saliva flow between groups on antidepressant medication and not on anti-depressants. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between saliva flow rates and depression score, gender, and age. Patients who were categorized as depressed with HADS scale scores of 11-21 revealed a multivariate adjusted odds ratio of 2.552 for decreased unstimulated saliva flow rate and 1.660 for decreased stimulated saliva flow when adjusted for age, gender, and medications.
Conclusions The results of this study suggest that depression more closely correlates with decreased saliva flow rate than antidepressant medication.
