Relationship between xerostomia and psychotropic drugs in patients with schizophrenia: evaluation using an oral moisture meter.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with schizophrenia are most commonly treated with antipsychotic medications, often with the addition of anxiolytics. This study used an oral moisture meter to evaluate xerostomia in patients with schizophrenia taking typical and atypical antipsychotics, anxiolytics and non-psychotropic medications.


METHODS
Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 criteria in the Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University East, and affiliated hospitals were studied. All patients were on psychotropic medications. Patients with diseases associated with xerostomia, such as Sjögren's syndrome I, were excluded.


CONCLUSIONS
A total of 127 patients were enrolled. Mean oral moisture was 27·81 ± 2·27% (normal, ≥30·0%). A significant association was observed between objective oral moisture and the subjective sense of dry mouth. Multivariate analysis revealed a negative correlation between the number of antipsychotics and, especially, anxiolytics, and the degree of oral moisture. Drug dosages themselves were not significantly correlated with dry mouth. These findings suggest that objective oral moisture measurements show decreased moisture in patients on these medications and that the degree of moisture shows a greater negative correlation with the number, as opposed to the dosages, of psychotropic drugs administered.


CONCLUSIONS
When patients with schizophrenia visit a dental clinic, it is important for the dentist to accurately assess the degree of oral moisture and to determine the medications being taken. Based on these findings of the association of polypharmacy with xerostomia, dentists are encouraged to inform the psychiatrist of the need to actively manage patients' xerostomia.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. ayakooms@tokyo-med.ac.jp.
A
A
Okamoto
Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
H
H
Miyachi
Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
K
K
Tanaka
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
D
D
Chikazu
Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
H
H
Miyaoka
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000379:methods; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000139:chemically induced*
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
antipsychotic agents; anxiolytic agents; dental clinic; polypharmacy; schizophrenia; xerostomia