Ratio and associated factors of dry mouth among community-dwelling elderly Japanese women

Aim: Dry mouth is one of the common complaints of elderly people, and can accompany various disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the ratio of subjective feelings of dry mouth and associated factors of it in Japanese community- dwelling elderly women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The subjects were 1286 women aged 75-84 years who participated in a comprehensive geriatric health examination, including a face-to-face interview, questionnaires, and medical and dental examinations. The chi 2-test, Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare the differences between the dry mouth and normal groups, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the factors associated with dry mouth. Results: The mean age of the participants was 78.4 +/- 2.7 years and the ratio of dry mouth was 38.8% (n = 499). According to multiple logistic regression analysis, a history of heart disease (odds ratio [OR] = 1.46, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.01-1.96), the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics (OR = 1.43, CI = 1.00-2.05), a social role (OR = 0.59, CI = 0.39-0.89), difficulty in mastication (OR = 1.70, CI = 1.32-2.20) and difficulty in swallowing (OR = 2.18, CI = 1.65-2.88) were significantly associated with dry mouth. Conclusion: The present study suggests that factors associated with dry mouth are oral dysfunction such as mastication and swallowing, presence of heart disease, use of anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics, and a social role in Japanese community-dwelling elderly women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; 11: 83-89.