[A PhD completed. General conclusions of doctoral research into regional mouth dryness]

Dry mouth has a complex aetiology which makes proper diagnosis complicated. Until now, dry mouth diagnosis has mainly focused on the overall oral dryness, without taking into account regional differences within the mouth. This research showed, among other things, that there are unique patterns of oral dryness, each with its own cause. For example, patients suffering from Sjogren's syndrome mainly experienced dryness of the posterior of the palate. Patients with dry mouth due to the side effects of medication, in contrast, experienced the front part of the tongue as the driest. These findings suggest that mapping of intraoral dryness may be a useful diagnostic tool to differentiate between possible causes of dry mouth.