Aims: Xerostomia syndrome is a significant medical and social problem. It is manifested by objective and subjective symptoms of a "dry mouth" and a decrease in sialometry. The aim of the study was to determine the dental status of students of different nationalities, to identify xerostomia induced on a background of stress, and to assess the effectiveness of the use of moisturizing foams in alleviating xerostomia.
Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study survey (Fox test) of 100 students of the dental faculty was conducted to detect false xerostomia. The study involved 60 people with false xerostomia, divided into four groups of 15 each according to the nationality. The level of oral hygiene was determined using the Simplified Oral Hygiene and Silness-Loe indices and the rate of salivation was assessed with sialometry method by Pozharitskaya. Oral hygiene instructions were given to the participants. They were to apply moisturizing foams with lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, and aloe vera, two-three times during the day for 3 weeks. A set of statistical programs was used (Microsoft Excel [2007] and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences [SPSS], version 23) to perform Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, and Wilcoxon tests.
Results: A statistically significant improvement in oral hygiene was observed in all study participants. A significant increase was detected in the rate of salivation in students from Russia (P = 0.005), Transcaucasian countries (P = 0.006), and Arab countries (P = 0.005).
Conclusion: It has been established that the use of moisturizing foam has a positive effect on the rate of salivation and improves the level of oral hygiene, thereby improving the quality of life for patients.
Keywords: Dental status; hyposalivation; salivation rate; xerostomia.