Abstract
BackgroundOral dryness is a common symptom that may interfere with swallowing, chewing, and taste. The most common reason for oral dryness is hyposalivation. Some individuals experiencing oral dryness do not have hyposalivation, however, and the reverse is also true. Here, we focused on healthy individuals with a lower salivary flow rate and evaluated the relationship between the perception of oral dryness and salivary parameters to clarify the cause underlying the perception of oral dryness.MethodsA total of 59 participants were divided into 2 groups with a lower or higher salivary flow rate according to the median salivary flow rate. In participants with a lower salivary flow rate, we assessed salivary bacterial counts, protease activities, protein concentrations, oral parameters, and the subjective perception of oral dryness.ResultsProtease activities and concentrations of protease inhibitors such as cystatin-D and cystatin-SA in the saliva of participants experiencing oral dryness were significantly higher and lower, respectively, than in those not experiencing oral dryness, even though no difference in the salivary flow rate was detected. Salivary cystatin-D and cystatin-SA concentrations correlated negatively with salivary protease activities.ConclusionsThe composition of salivary protease inhibitors and increased protease activities affect the subjective perception of oral dryness.
Highlights
Comparison of clinical and oral parameters in subjects with and without subjective perceptions of oral dryness We administered questionnaires to subjects with a lower salivary flow rate to assess the subjective perception of oral dryness
Salivary protease inhibitors in subjects with and without subjective perceptions of oral dryness Because the protease activities varied among the oral dryness symptom groups, we examined the concentrations of salivary protease inhibitors by peptide
This study identified the composition of salivary protease inhibitors and increased protease activities affect the subjective perception of oral dryness
Summary
Major saliva-producing glands include the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands, but minor glands located beneath the oral mucosa contribute to salivary levels. The subjective perception of oral dryness, or xerostomia, is not always associated with objectively lower salivary secretion levels [1]. The most common reasons for xerostomia are hyposalivation due to oral or systemic disease [2], head and Yamamoto et al BMC Oral Health (2021) 21:661 expected when the salivary secretion rate is low. The most common reason for oral dryness is hyposalivation. Some individuals experiencing oral dryness do not have hyposalivation, and the reverse is true. We focused on healthy individuals with a lower salivary flow rate and evaluated the relationship between the perception of oral dryness and salivary parameters to clarify the cause underlying the perception of oral dryness
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