Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between medicine and stimulated saliva and oral moisture.
Methods: Fourteen patients with subjective oral dryness and 13 healthy adults were enrolled in this study. Disease, medicine, and medicines that had a side effect of oral dryness were investigated. The Saxon test was performed by chewing a piece of gauze sponge for 2 min. Oral moisture was measured at the lingual and buccal mucosa using an oral moisture checking device. Statistical analysis was performed by the Mann-Whitney U-test and Student t-test.
Results: Stimulated saliva and oral moisture did not differ according to the number of diseases. Oral moisture at lingual mucosa was different between a minor medicine group (0-2 types of medicine) (31.3 +/- 1.9%) and a major medicine group (>or=3 types of medicine) (29.5 +/- 2.2%) (p = 0.05). Oral moisture differed between a group not taking any medicine that had a side effect of oral dryness (31.2 +/- 1.8% at lingual mucosa and 33.8 +/- 1.4% at buccal mucosa) and a group taking such medicine (29.3 +/- 2.3% at lingual mucosa and 32.4 +/- 1.8% at buccal mucosa) (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that oral moisture tended to decrease in the subjects who took many types of medicine or who took medicine that had a side effect of oral dryness. The medicine did not influence the amount of stimulated saliva. Therefore, it was suggested that medicine could influence the moisture of the oral mucosa.