Hyposalivation, xerostomia and the complete denture: a systematic review.
BACKGROUND
To determine the treatment effects of hyposalivation on denture retention, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature.


METHODS
The authors reviewed clinical investigations that assessed the treatment effects of hyposalivation on denture retention. They searched six electronic databases for works from 1950 to the second week of September 2007 by using the key words "denture," "hyposalivation," "xerostomia," "dry mouth," "elderly" and "aged." They limited the citation search to articles written in English and describing studies that involved human subjects.


RESULTS
The authors identified 11 articles in the search; none was a report of a randomized controlled clinical trial.


CONCLUSIONS
The few clinical research studies published on the topic of hyposalivation and denture retention represent a low level of evidence for establishing clinical practice guidelines. The authors found that they could make no conclusions regarding the treatment effects of hyposalivation on denture retention. The article provides a literature review regarding the etiologies and clinical presentation of salivary disorders and xerostomia in elderly people, the role of saliva in denture retention, the effect of dry mouth on denture use and the treatment of dry mouth problems in denture wearers. Prospective clinical trials are needed to establish a framework for evidence-based treatment of denture-wearing patients experiencing dry mouth.
Turner
Michael
M
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, New York University, 421 First Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA.
Jahangiri
Leila
L
Ship
Jonathan A
JA
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D003781:Denture Retention; D003824:Denture, Complete; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012463:Saliva / Q000502:physiology; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy