Abstract
BackgroundRecent research has suggested that chronic dry mouth affects the day-to-day lives of older people living in institutions. The condition has usually been considered to be a feature of old age, but recent work by our team produced the somewhat surprising finding that 10% of people in their early thirties are affected. This raises the issue of whether dry mouth is a trivial condition or a more substantial threat to quality of life among younger people. The objective of this study was to examine the association between xerostomia and oral-health-related quality of life among young adults while controlling for clinical oral health status and other potential confounding factors.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of data from a longstanding prospective observational study of a Dunedin (New Zealand) birth cohort: clinical dental examinations and questionnaires were used at age 32. The main measures were xerostomia (the subjective feeling of dry mouth, measured with a single question) and oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measured using the short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14).ResultsOf the 923 participants (48.9% female), one in ten were categorised as 'xerostomic', with no apparent gender difference. There was a strong association between xerostomia and OHRQoL (across all OHIP-14 domains) which persisted after multivariate analysis to control for clinical characteristics, gender, smoking status and personality characteristics (negative emotionality and positive emotionality).ConclusionXerostomia is not a trivial condition; it appears to have marked and consistent effects on sufferers' day-to-day lives.
Highlights
Recent research has suggested that chronic dry mouth affects the day-to-day lives of older people living in institutions
Xerostomia was found to be associated with oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a convenience sample of institutionalised older people in Toronto [8]; that study used two different OHRQoL scales, and the association with xerostomia was strong with either measure
A Swedish study [11] of dry mouth and OHRQoL among a small sample of institutionalised older people found similar associations. While these findings suggest that the impact of dry mouth extends beyond the oral cavity and into people's day-today lives, there is a need for confirmation of the relationship in a representative sample, and among younger adults who are living in the community
Summary
Recent research has suggested that chronic dry mouth affects the day-to-day lives of older people living in institutions. The condition has usually been considered to be a feature of old age, but recent work by our team produced the somewhat surprising finding that 10% of people in their early thirties are affected This raises the issue of whether dry mouth is a trivial condition or a more substantial threat to quality of life among younger people. A Swedish study [11] of dry mouth and OHRQoL among a small sample of institutionalised older people found similar associations While these findings suggest that the impact of dry mouth extends beyond the oral cavity and into people's day-today lives, there is a need for confirmation of the relationship in a representative sample, and among younger adults who are living in the community. An examination of that relationship should attempt to control for those traits
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