title: Relationship between medicine and stimulated saliva and oral moisture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Complete Denture, The Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Japan. fumichan@ngt.ndu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Fumi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Mutsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toya
authors.forename: Osami
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012472:Salivation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000503:physiopathology*