Association of xerostomia and polypharmacy - A case-control study

Xerostomia, or the subjective sensation of dry mouth, is known to cause difficulties in speech, swallowing, and maintaining oral hygiene.

To study the association between xerostomia and polypharmacy among dental patients.

This case-control study was conducted at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A total of 120 participants were included, comprising 60 cases with clinically diagnosed xerostomia and 60 controls without xerostomia. Data was retrieved from the institutional electronic record system for the period between January 2023 and January 2024. Variables such as age, gender and medication history were recorded and their association with xerostomia was analyzed.

Xerostomia was more commonly reported among females and in the 31-40 and 61-70 age groups. Among individuals diagnosed with xerostomia, 33.3% were under polypharmacy, while a higher proportion (66.7%) were under monotherapy. An adjusted multivariate regression analysis revealed a positive association between xerostomia and polypharmacy (OR = 3.545), which was found to be statistically significant. The most frequently used drug class in monotherapy patients with xerostomia was antipsychotics (28%) followed by hypoglycaemics (24%) and antidepressants (24%).

This study found that polypharmacy was significantly associated with increased odds of xerostomia after adjusting for confounders. Drug classes such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and hypoglycaemics were found to be administered as monotherapy amongst patients with xerostomia. These findings, along with the multivariate analysis, suggest that both the number of medications and the type of drugs prescribed are important contributors to the risk of developing xerostomia.