Assessment of Dry Mouth in a Palliative Population: A Comparison Between Patient-Reported Symptoms and Clinical Oral Dryness Scale Measurements

The severity and impact of dry mouth in patients receiving palliative care is underreported, and assessment methods for this condition are lacking consensus. This study aimed to examine the severity of dry mouth in a palliative population as rated on a visual oral dryness scale and to compare these findings with the actual symptoms experienced by patients, as reported through both a symptom scale measure and a bother questionnaire. 40 participants took part in this cross-sectional study. The results indicated that xerostomia is a significant and debilitating symptom for many patients receiving palliative care. Daily activities such as speaking and sleeping were rated as highly affected by xerostomia, whereas swallowing was not reported to be as badly affected. The use of the oral dryness scale as an assessment technique in this population showed correlation with some, but not all, of xerostomia-related symptoms experienced by participants.