Use and efficacy of dry-mouth interventions in Sjögren’s disease patients and possible association with perceived oral dryness and patients’ discomfort

Z. Assy*, J. S. van Santen, H. S. Brand, F. J. Bikker

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objectives: Sjögren’s disease (SjD) patients use various interventions to relief their oral dryness. However, the use and efficacy of these interventions have only partially been evaluated. The present study aims to investigate whether there is an association between the perceived oral dryness and discomfort of SjD patients and their use of specific interventions. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among SjD patients, who completed several questionnaires to assess the severity of their oral dryness and an inventory of dry-mouth interventions. The perceived efficacy of each intervention was reported on a 5-point Likert-scale. Results: The questionnaires were returned by 92 SjD patients. For relief of oral dryness, they mostly used “eating fruit”, “drinking tea”, “moistening the lips”, “drinking water, and “drinking small volumes” (> 50%). Three interventions had a frequency of use ranging from 2–6 times/day, whereas, “drinking water” and “drinking small volumes” showed higher frequencies (> 14). The highest overall efficacy (≥ 3.5) was reported for “chewing gum” and “using a mouth gel”. Furthermore, various dry-mouth interventions showed significant associations with oral dryness scores and/or patients’ discomfort. For example, “drinking small volumes” and “using XyliMelts” were associated with the Bother Index score. Conclusion: Great variation was found in the use of dry-mouth interventions by the participants and the severity of the oral dryness and/or patients’ discomfort seemed to affect their choice of intervention. Notably, the mostly used interventions did not show the highest reported efficacy. Clinical relevance: These findings might help SjD patients and clinicians in their choice of effective dry-mouth interventions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5529-5537
Number of pages9
JournalClinical Oral Investigations
Volume27
Issue number9
Early online date28 Jul 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
J.S. van Santen and F.J. Bikker were financially supported by a research grant from Health ~ Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health with grant number R/011124.03.02.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Dry mouth
  • Dry-mouth interventions
  • Saliva substitutes
  • Sjögren’s disease
  • Sjögren’s syndrome
  • Xerostomia

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