Association between symptoms of xerostomia and dry eye in older people

To explore the association between xerostomia and dry eye symptoms in the older adult population.

Secondary analysis of data from 627 participants (346 male, 291 female), with a mean ± SD age of 75 ± 7 years, recruited through the population-based South Australian Dental Longitudinal Study. Participants completed the validated Summated Xerostomia Inventory-Dutch Version questionnaire (SXI-D), and rated their overall frequency of dry eye symptoms at baseline.

Symptomatic dry eye was reported by 31% of participants, and xerostomia by 21%. A positive correlation was observed between dry eye symptoms and SXI-D scores (Spearman's rho = +0.379, p < 0.001). Overall, participants with symptomatic dry eye had higher SXI-D scores than those without (10.6 ± 3.6 vs. 8.1 ± 2.8, p < 0.001), and were more likely to report xerostomia, with an odds ratio (95% CI) of 2.25 (1.52-3.35; p < 0.001).

Symptoms of xerostomia and dry eye were relatively common in the cohort of older adult participants. The potentially debilitating implications of - and positive association between - the two types of sicca symptoms support the routine evaluation of xerostomia symptoms as part of the assessment of dry eye patients, and vice versa.