.png)
Salivary gland hypofunction in elderly patients with xerostomia. Problems/objectives: Xerostomia is usually related to salivary gland (SG) hypofunction and is a common complaint in elderly patients. This study was conducted to evaluate SG function in elderly patients with xerostomia and to determine whether the degree of xerostomia is correlated with SG dysfunction.
Methodology: Thirty-two xerostomia patients aged over 65 years were enrolled in this study. Patients taking xerostomic drugs, those with a history of SG diseases or radiotherapy and those with any factor likely to affect SG function were excluded. Subjective symptoms were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. SG function was quantified by determining salivary flow rates (SFR) and using scintigraphic parameters for the submandibular and parotid glands. Any correlations between the subjective symptoms and the objective findings were investigated. Twentyfour normal, healthy, young (mean age 29 years) subjects served as controls.
Results: According to the xerostomia questionnaire, the symptom scores of the patients were significantly higher than those of the controls (p<0.001). Salivary flow testing showed that the patients’ unstimulated and stimulated flow rates were significantly lower than those of the controls (p = 0.005, p = 0.016, respectively). Regarding the scintigraphic parameters, the uptake ratio (UR) and maximum accumulation (MA) were smaller and the time interval from stimulation to minimum count (Tmin) was greater in patients. The unstimulated SFR and submandibular scintigraphic parameters were found to be significantly correlated with the degree of xerostomia.
Conclusion: SFR and scintigraphic parameters may be helpful for thein the objective evaluation of xerostomia symptoms. The study also shows that unstimulated SFR and submandibular scintigraphic parameters reflect symptom severity in elderly xerostomia patients.