Does oral dryness influence quality of life? Current perspectives in elderly dental care

The oral condition can functionally, socially and psychologically influence the quality of life. Oral dryness often occurs in the elderly due to the presence of systemic diseases and medications, which favors the development of many lesions and complaints, including dental caries, candidiasis, retention of full removable denture, taste disturbance and it enforces a change in nutrition.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of oral dryness on oral health-related quality of life in older subjects.

Five hundred subjects of both genders, aged 65 and over (mean 74.4 ±7.4) were involved in the study. Oral dryness was evaluated clinically with use of the Challacombe scale (CODS, Clinical Oral Dryness Score). The oral health-related quality of life was assessed by the Oral Health Impact Profile scale (OHIP-14).

Oral dryness occurred in 32.8% of subjects, most often on a mild level (29.6%). The average value of the OHIP-14 scale was 8.01 ±13.59. The regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between oral dryness and two domains of the OHIP-14 scale, i.e. functional limitation (p < 0.01) and psychological disability (p < 0.05).

Oral dryness is substantially related to the oral health-related quality of life, which indicates the necessity of monitoring oral dryness as part of routine dental care.