Severity of Xerostomia and Its Correlation With Self-Perceived Voice Handicap and Mental Well-Being in Patients With...

To investigate the severity of xerostomia in patients with hoarseness and its correlation with self-perceived voice handicap, anxiety, and depression.

All patients who presented to the Voice unit between February and September 2025 were invited to participate in this study. They were asked to complete three questionnaires: Xerostomia Inventory (XI) questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).

A total of 75 subjects participated in this study, including 38 patients and 37 controls matched by age and gender. The patient subgroup included 20 males and 18 females. The mean age was 44.05 ± 13.31 years. The mean XI questionnaire score in the patient subgroup was 18.18 ± 7.63 compared to 14.43 ± 3.42 in the control subgroup (p = 0.048). The mean GAD-7 score in the patient subgroup was 13.55 ± 14.20 compared to 5.27 ± 4.92 in the control subgroup, and the mean PHQ-9 score in the patient subgroup was 7.74 ± 8.07 compared to 4.43 ± 3.83 in the control subgroup. There was a moderately significant correlation between the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and XI scores (r = 0.393, p < 0.001). There was also a significant moderate correlation between XI questionnaire, and GAD-7, and PHQ-9 scores (r = 0.441, p < 0.001, and r = 0.454, p < 0.001, respectively).

Patients with dysphonia are more likely to complain of oral dryness compared to healthy controls. The severity of xerostomia correlated significantly with patients' self-perceived hoarseness, anxiety, and depression.