Table 3 Evaluation of the association between dry mouth and oral disorders. Participants were deemed to have oral dryness if they answered ‘always’ or ‘quite often’ to the question that explored the frequency of experiencing dry mouth
Without oral dryness (%) N = 190 | With Oral dryness (%) N = 1268 | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Oral and dental problems | Yes | 102 (53.68) | 875 (69.01) | < 0.0001 (Fisher’s Exact Test) |
No | 88 (46.32) | 393 (30.99) | ||
Mouth ulcers | Never | 75 (39.47) | 334 (26.34) | 0.0005 (Pearson’s Chi-squared test) |
Sometimes | 92 (48.42) | 623 (49.13) | ||
Quite often | 21 (11.05) | 278 (21.92) | ||
Always | 2 (1.05) | 33 (2.6) | ||
Oral candidiasis | Never | 140 (73.68) | 596 (47) | < 0.0001 (Pearson’s Chi-squared test) |
Sometimes | 38 (20) | 559 (36.2) | ||
Quite often | 7 (3.68) | 172 (13.56) | ||
Always | 5 (2.63) | 41 (3.23) | ||
Oral pain or burning | Never | 101 (53.16) | 330 (26.03) | < 0.0001 (Pearson’s Chi-squared test) |
Sometimes | 62 (32.63) | 417 (32.89) | ||
Quite often | 19 (10) | 386 (30.44) | ||
Always | 8 (4.21) | 135 (10.65) | ||
Loss or alteration of taste | Never | 84 (44.21) | 344 (27.13) | < 0.0001 (Pearson’s Chi-squared test) |
Sometimes | 77 (40.53) | 482 (33.01) | ||
Quite often | 23 (12.11) | 329 (25.95) | ||
Always | 6 (3.16) | 113 (8.91) | ||
Bad mouth breath | Never | 67 (35.26) | 328 (25.87) | 0.0049 (Pearson’s Chi-squared test) |
Sometimes | 91 (47.89) | 595 (46.92) | ||
Quite often | 26 (13.68) | 254 (20.03) | ||
Always | 6 (3.16) | 91 (7.18) | ||
Gastro-esophageal reflux | Never | 45 (23.68) | 254 (20.03) | 0.0104 (Pearson’s Chi-squared test) |
Sometimes | 79 (41.58) | 410 (32.33) | ||
Quite often | 37 (19.47) | 341 (26.89) | ||
Always | 29 (15.26) | 263 (20.74) | ||