The average healthy adult produces up to two litres of saliva every day, but up to ten million people in the UK suffer from dry mouth – known as xerostomia – when salivary glands don’t produce enough saliva. This is often temporary but for some people, dry mouth can become a chronic condition that severely affects their quality of life. The condition has a prevalence of 40 per cent in the over-65 age group and increased incidence of the condition in young people due to a rise in use of medications for conditions such as depression and anxiety.

It is important to help identify, monitor and manage dry mouth to assess the following:-

• Fungal infections: to detect and prevent oral thrush and other fungal infections.
• Dental health: it increases the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and plaque formation.
• Salivary gland health: In some cases, patients need to be monitored for persistent lumps in the salivary glands, which may indicate the development of lymphoma.
• Medication effects: if caused by medication, it may mean that the dosage or prescription may need to be adjusted, requiring ongoing monitoring.
• Overall oral health: it can lead to various oral health problems, including mouth ulcers, cracked lips, and difficulties with dentures, necessitating regular check-ups.
• Systemic health: it may be associated with underlying conditions like diabetes, which require ongoing monitoring and management.

Regular monitoring by both dentists and doctors is crucial for managing dry mouth effectively and preventing potential complications and measurement is important to diagnose its severity, monitor treatment effectiveness, and conduct research. The methods in use currently include subjective measurements such as questionnaires and surveys and objective measurements such as Salivary Flow Rate Tests, Clinical Examinations, Imaging Methods, and Biochemical Analysis. However, many of these are suboptimal and until now there hasn’t been a single “gold standard” measurement, with clinicians using a combination of subjective and objective methods for a comprehensive assessment.

The FishburneTabs^TM Oral Hydration (®OH) from Salvivo offer a simple sustainable, quantitative method for measuring xerostomia with applications across multiple clinical settings:

• Dental Practices: Routine screening during check-ups, Monitoring patients with existing conditions, Assessing impact of dental procedures, Pre-treatment evaluation, and risk assessment for dental caries.
• Medical Practices: Primary care monitoring, Oncology departments (especially head/neck cancer), Rheumatology clinics (Sjögren’s disease), Medication management and Geriatric care.
• Care Homes: Regular resident monitoring, Early detection of problems, Medication side effect tracking, Staff training and care protocols, Documentation for care quality.
• Home Use: Patient self-monitoring, Medication adjustment feedback, Treatment effectiveness tracking, Early warning of worsening condition, Communication with healthcare providers.

In clinical settings (dental and medical) regular monitoring could have a huge impact and dramatically improve patient outcomes.