title: Oral complaints and stimulated salivary flow rate in 1188 adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, oral sensory complaints (OSC) were proposed as a disease entity to represent idiopathic sensory disturbances of dry mouth, burning mouth, and taste disturbance, even though neither the status of OSC in the general population nor its underlying mechanism has yet been elucidated. Moreover, these three OSC-related complaints have not been assessed in combination by means of a visual analog scale (VAS) in a large-scale, community-dwelling population of a broad age range.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a 1188-member community-dwelling adult population, comprised of 373 males and 815 females, aged 20-90 years, the three OSC-related complaints and stimulated salivary flow rate (SSFR) were assessed by means of a VAS and modified Saxon test, respectively. Association of each complaint with age, gender, SSFR, and other complaints was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increases in both prevalence and intensity of subjective dry mouth and burning mouth were associated closely with decreasing SSFR. Even for taste disturbance, which may be affected less significantly by salivation status than the other two complaints, a significant association was suggested between decreasing SSFR and especially severe taste disturbance. However, these oral complaints were found in considerable prevalence even in the individuals with high SSFR. Often overlapping presentation of these complaints and a close association in intensity between the complaints to each other were also found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hyposalivation may be a significant and common etiology for the three oral complaints, although the considerable prevalence of complaints without hyposalivation suggests other etiologies, including those related to the OSC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan. toida@gifu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toida
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nanya
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda-Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Daijiro
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hatakeyama
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makita
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D012636:Secretory Rate; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult