Oral Surg Oral Med O
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Oral Surg Oral Med O · Dec 2001
Prevalence of subjective dry mouth and burning mouth in hospitalized elderly patients and outpatients in relation to saliva, medication, and systemic diseases.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of dry mouth and burning mouth in the frail elderly. We expected to find the studied symptoms more frequently in the frail elderly than in those who were healthier. ⋯ The subjective feelings of dry mouth and burning mouth appeared to be a complex issue among the elderly population studied. The 2 symptoms were seldom reported at the same time. The appearance of symptoms did not directly correlate with general health, except in the case of psychiatric diseases and medications, which should be taken into account.