A Pilot Study of Perceived Mouth Dryness, Perceived Swallowing Effort, and Saliva Substitute Effects in Healthy Adults Across the Age Range.
Nicole M Rogus-Pulia, Ronald Gangnon, Amy Kind and 2 others
PMID 28879557WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy adults who rated their mouth drier rated swallowing effort higher.
After Biotene gel, the middle effort rating dropped from 10 to 5 on the 10-centimeter line. Older age was linked to dryness, not effort.
Key findings
01Participants with greater reported mouth dryness had higher ratings of perceived swallow effort, regardless of age.
02After gel application, median perceived swallow effort decreased from 10 to 5.
03Older participants had higher ratings of perceived mouth dryness, but age was not significantly correlated with perceived swallow effort.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot study with 42 healthy adults, not people with diagnosed xerostomia, hyposalivation, or dysphagia. Data were collected at a healthy aging fair as part of an educational activity, and the study had no sham control group. The visual analog scales for mouth dryness and swallow effort were not validated or tested for reliability in this study. No objective saliva flow rate or swallowing function measures were collected. Only immediate effects after gel application were measured, so the duration of any change is unknown. Medication use was not recorded, and other conditions that can cause dry mouth may not have been excluded. The sample had wide age ranges and high variability in ratings, with standard deviations that were relatively wide and in some cases exceeded the means.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower effort rating after Biotene gel as proof that saliva substitutes treat dysphagia. This pilot tested healthy adults, used subjective ratings, had no sham control, and measured only immediate effects.