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Updated: May 19, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Drug induced xerostomia in elderly individuals: An institutional study
Shishir Ram Shetty1, Sunanda Bhowmick, Renita Castelino
1Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Nitte University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Introduction:
With better health care facilities and nutritional levels the average life expectancy of Indian population has been on the rise over the years. Most of the geriatric population is under long-term medication.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the synergistic effect of multiple xerostomia drugs.
Materials And Methods:
Unstimulated saliva was measured in 60 geriatric patients, and xerostomia questionnaire and quality-of-life scale were also administered.
Results:
There was a very highly significant reduction in the salivary flow rates of patients under multiple xerostomia-inducing drugs.
Conclusion:
The synergistic effect of the xerostomia inducing medication could be the possible factor responsible for reduced salivary flow in elderly individuals using such drugs.
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