The terms dry mouth syndrome, hyposalivation, xerostomia and dry mouth are used interchangeably in the literature, a situation that creates confusion. Hyposalivation by definition is either decreased salivary flow or insufficient saliva. Hyposalivation can be observed and is measurable, but without a baseline measurement for comparison, it is impossible to determine the magnitude of change over time. Xerostomia is a subjective perception of insufficient mouth moisture. Most who report having xerostomia have insufficient oral moisture, but changes in saliva composition can also lead to the feeling of a dry mouth even if salivary flow appears adequate. Dry mouth syndrome includes those with hyposalivation, as well as persons with adequate flow but dry mouth complaints.2,9
Your session is about to expire. Do you want to continue logged in?
WARNING! You did not finish creating your certificate. Please click CONTINUE below to return to your previous page to complete the process. Failure to complete ALL the steps will result in a loss of this test score, and you will not receive credit for this course.