Zehra Iqtidar, Ayesha Aslam, Sajid Naeem, Nazish Zafar, Umara Adeem.
Xerostomia And Its Effect On Complete Denture Stability.
Pak Oral Dental J Jan ;37(1):188-91.

Xerostomia is defined as dryness of the mouth due to the lack of normal secretion of saliva. It is a common clinical condition that could be the result of systemic conditions such as rheumatic arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, salivary gland diseases, diabetes mellitus. Xerostomia is more prevalent in the elderly people, primarily due to increased use of drugs because of their susceptibility to disease. In complete denture wearers, the wetting mechanics of saliva are necessary to assist the retention of prostheses. The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of xerostomia and denture instability in edentulous patients wearing complete dentures and to establish the association of xerostomia with denture stability in the local population. It was a questionnaire - based cross-sectional study conducted from Dec 2015 to September 2016). It targeted four major dental institutes, two in Rawalpindi/ Islamabad and two in Lahore. A total of 285 questionnaires were distributed. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Out of 246 subjects, xerostomia was found in 80 (32.5%) patients and non xerostomic were 166 (67.47%) while denture stability was found in 177 (71.95%) and instability in 69 (28.05%) patients. Of the 80 xerostomic subjects, 63 (78.75%) had unstable dentures. Association of xerostomia with denture stability was calculated using Chi-Square test and was found statistically significant (P <0.001). Dry mouth appears to have a significant impact on the oral function in denture wearers. Xerostomia should be diagnosed and effectively managed before any complete denture therapy is initiated.

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