Xerostomia. Part II: Relationship to nonoral symptoms, drugs, and diseases

Five hundred twenty-nine adult outpatients were studied to determine the relationship of xerostomia to other oral symptoms and salivary flow (reported in part I) and to nonoral symptoms, drugs, and select diseases (reported here in Part II). It was observed that dry throat, blurred vision, dry eyes, dry skin, and vaginal itching and fungal infections are prominently associated with oral dryness. These nonoral symptoms were positively correlated with the oral symptoms cited in part I of this study and were inversely related to the flow of resting, but not stimulated, whole saliva. Several classes of drugs were associated with dry mouth. In addition, diabetes mellitus and hypertension were significantly associated with it. Approximately half of the diabetic and hypertensive patients complained of dry mouth. Although a majority of them were taking medications, the association between xerostomia and these diseases cannot be completely attributed to drugs, since many of these patients did not take any xerogenic medicaments. The data show that xerostomia and several other oral symptoms are valid indicators of salivary gland hypofunction. They suggest, moreover, that select nonoral symptoms are an indicator of generalized xerosis.