title: Oral mucosal lesions in older people: relation to salivary secretion, systemic diseases and medications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in a sample of older Danish people and to investigate their associations with age, gender, systemic diseases, medications, xerostomia and salivary secretion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 668 community-dwelling individuals aged 65-95 years underwent a clinical examination, measurements of unstimulated and stimulated whole and labial salivary flow rates and an interview regarding xerostomia, general health, medication, tobacco and alcohol habits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-five per cent of all participants and 70% of the non-medicated ones had one or more oral mucosal lesions. The most prevalent lesions were lingual varicosities (28.3%), denture stomatitis (12.7%), candidiasis (11.8%), fissured tongue (9.1%) and frictional keratosis (8.4%). Lesions were generally associated with smoking and xerostomia. Varicosities were more common in participants with systemic diseases and medication intake, particularly with cardiovascular diseases and agents. Fissured tongue and atrophic tongue were associated with female gender, xerostomia and low unstimulated whole and labial salivary secretion. Oral candidiasis was associated with older age; being male; current smoker; having >3 diseases, intake of medications and low salivary flow rates; and identified in relation to denture stomatitis, fissured tongue and atrophic tongue and median rhomboid glossitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral mucosal lesions are prevalent in older Danish people and generally associated with changes in both local and systemic factors. Tongue lesions in particular appeared as indicators that may identify patients with specific need of oral intervention.
authors.affiliation: Section of Oral Medicine, Clinical Oral Physiology, Oral Pathology and Anatomy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Center for Healthy Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Gerodontological Research Center, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lynge Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Section of Oral Medicine, Clinical Oral Physiology, Oral Pathology and Anatomy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Center for Healthy Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Gerodontological Research Center, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nauntofte
authors.affiliation: Section of Oral Medicine, Clinical Oral Physiology, Oral Pathology and Anatomy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Gerodontological Research Center, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smidt
authors.affiliation: Section of Oral Medicine, Clinical Oral Physiology, Oral Pathology and Anatomy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Gerodontological Research Center, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Torpet
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D052776:Female Urogenital Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D052801:Male Urogenital Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: anatomical therapeutic chemical codes; medication; oral mucosa; polypharmacy; saliva; xerostomia