Potential factors responsible for dryness of the dorsum of the tongue in elderly requiring care

Abstract

Dry mouth of the dorsum of the tongue in elderly requiring care was associated with the degree of incapacity, tube feeding, and level of conversation.

Factors affecting the formation of membranous substances in the palates of elderly persons requiring nursing care

“…There was no correlation with the wettability of the mucous membrane below the tongue; therefore, non‐oral ingestion and dryness of the tongue dorsum imply a dryness of the oral mucosa that is independent from the amount of saliva. It has been reported that there is a high level of correlation in elderly patients between having a dry tongue dorsum and being bedridden or tube‐fed. Our results show that formation of the membranous substances was also correlated with speech and communication.…”

Comparison of a saliva wetness tester and a moisture‐checking device in patients with maxillary obturator prostheses

“…On the other hand, the saliva wetness tester, which utilises the principle of chromatographic measurement with a membrane filter in polyester film, measures the volume of water absorbed with a membrane filter as the height of the salivary moisture area. Saliva wetness testers absorb water when moisture is present in the area being measured and remain completely dry when moisture is not present in the area being measured. Dry mouth starts with drying of the surface of the lingual mucosa.…”

“…After keeping the subject at rest for 5 min under quiet circumstances without talking, each measurement was performed five times 1,2,10 . The mean value of each measurement was calculated [1][2][3]7,12,13 . To evaluate the results, a value of 29% for moisture level 1,2 and 3 mm for saliva wetness 7,12 were used as reference values in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.…”

“…The mean value of each measurement was calculated [1][2][3]7,12,13 . To evaluate the results, a value of 29% for moisture level 1,2 and 3 mm for saliva wetness 7,12 were used as reference values in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The subjects were classified as without dry mouth when both moisture level and saliva wetness values were equal to or greater than the reference values and were considered to have dry mouth when both values were less than the respective reference values.…”

“…Measurement of the amount of unstimulated saliva at rest involves the spitting method [4][5][6][7][8] , the cotton method 9,10 , moisture-checking devices [1][2][3]6,9,10 and saliva wetness testers 6,7,9,11,12 . As conventional methods, both the spitting method and the cotton method are useful for evaluating dry mouth in terms of subjective symptoms 4,10 .…”