Xerostomia and Salivary Dysfunction in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus. A Cross-Sectional Study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with salivary disorders such as xerostomia and hyposalivation. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these disorders and their risk factors in DM patients.

DM patients from two health centers were included. Epidemiological and DM control-related variables were collected. Xerostomia Inventory was filled out by the patients and unstimulated whole salivary flow was collected. Logistic regression tests were performed.

A total of 168 patients were included (46.4% men, 53.6% women, mean age 72.54 [SD 11.03 years]). Thirteen patients had Type 1 DM and 155 had Type 2 DM. 52.4% experienced xerostomia and 41.1% had unstimulated whole salivary flow hyposalivation. Women were more likely to suffer hyposalivation than men (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.32-4.73; p = 0.005). Patients with T2DM were less likely to suffer UWS hyposalivation than T1DM patients (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.08-0.95; p = 0.04). Glycemic control was not significantly worse in patients with xerostomia and hyposalivation. The drugs for the treatment of DM were not associated with salivary disorders. However, some drugs to treat other comorbidities such hypertension and neurological diseases were associated with xerostomia and hyposalivation.

The prevalence of xerostomia and unstimulated whole salivary flow hyposalivation in patients with DM is high. Female sex, T1DM, and the use of certain non-antidiabetic drugs increased the risk of suffering these disorders. The possible association between DM, xerostomia, and/or hyposalivation is complex and may be influenced by multiple factors. Therefore, further studies are needed to evaluate whether DM influences these salivary disorders.