How Common is Dry Mouth? Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of Prevalence Estimates.

The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature to estimate the overall prevalence of xerostomia/hyposalivation in epidemiological studies. An electronic search was carried out up to February 2018 with no language restrictions. A total of 5760 titles were screened and just twenty-nine papers were included in review and the meta-analysis after a two independently reviewers applied the selection criteria. Data were extracted from PubMed and Web of Science databases. Eligibility criteria included original investigations from observational population-based studies that reported the prevalence of xerostomia or data that allowed the calculation of prevalence of xerostomia and/or hyposalivation. Studies conducted in samples with specific health conditions, literature reviews, case reports and anthropological studies, as conferences or comments were excluded. Sample size, geographic location of the study, study design, age of the studied population, diagnosis methods, and evaluation criteria used to determine xerostomia e/or hyposalivation were extracted for meta-analysis and meta-regression. Multivariate meta-regression analysis was performed to explore heterogeneity among studies. The overall estimated prevalence of dry mouth was 22.0% (95%CI 17.0-26.0%). Higher prevalence of xerostomia was observed in studies conducted only with elderly people. Despite diverse approaches to the condition's measurement, just over one in four people suffer from xerostomia, with higher rates observed among older people. Moreover, the measurement methods used currently may over- or underestimate xerostomia. These findings highlight the need for further work on existing and new clinical measure and will be useful to determine which one is more reliable in clinical and epidemiological perspectives.

How common is dry mouth? systematic review and meta-regression analysis of prevalence estimates

Abstract The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature to estimate the overall prevalence of xerostomia/hyposalivation in epidemiological studies. An electronic search was carried out up to February 2018 with no language restrictions. A total of 5760 titles were screened and just twenty-nine papers were included in review and the meta-analysis after a two independently reviewers applied the selection criteria. Data were extracted from PubMed and Web of Science databases. Eligibility criteria included original investigations from observational population-based studies that reported the prevalence of xerostomia or data that allowed the calculation of prevalence of xerostomia and/or hyposalivation. Studies conducted in samples with specific health conditions, literature reviews, case reports and anthropological studies, as conferences or comments were excluded. Sample size, geographic location of the study, study design, age of the studied population, diagnosis methods, and evaluation criteria used to determine xerostomia e/or hyposalivation were extracted for meta-analysis and meta-regression. Multivariate meta-regression analysis was performed to explore heterogeneity among studies. The overall estimated prevalence of dry mouth was 22.0% (95%CI 17.0-26.0%). Higher prevalence of xerostomia was observed in studies conducted only with elderly people. Despite diverse approaches to the condition's measurement, just over one in four people suffer from xerostomia, with higher rates observed among older people. Moreover, the measurement methods used currently may over- or underestimate xerostomia. These findings highlight the need for further work on existing and new clinical measure and will be useful to determine which one is more reliable in clinical and epidemiological perspectives.

Resumo O objetivo do estudo é revisar sistematicamente a literatura afim de estimar a prevalência global de xerostomia/hiposalivação em estudos epidemiológicos. Uma busca eletrônica foi conduzida até Fevereiro de 2018 sem restrições de linguagem. Um total de 5760 títulos foram inicialmente identificados e somente vinte e nove artigos foram incluídos na revisão e meta-análise após dois revisores independentes aplicarem os critérios de seleção. Os artigos foram extraídos das bases de dados PubMed/Medline e Web of Science. Os critérios de elegibilidade incluíram investigações originais de estudos observacionais de base populacional os quais reportaram a prevalência de xerostomia ou dados que permitissem o cálculo da prevalência de xerostomia e/ou hiposalivação. Estudos realizados em populações com condições de saúde específicas, revisões de literatura, relato de casos e estudos antropológicos, assim como, conferências ou comentários foram excluídos. Tamanho amostral, localização geográfica aonde foi realizado o estudo, desenho do estudo, idade da população estudada, métodos de diagnóstico e o critério de avaliação para determiner xerostomia e/ou hiposalivação foram extraídos para a meta-análise e metaregressão. Análise de meta-regressão multípla foi realizada para explorar a heterogeneidade entre os estudos. A prevalência global estimada de boca seca foi de 22.0% (95%IC 17.0-26.0%). Uma maior prevalência de xerostomia foi observada em estudos realizados exclusivamente em populações idosas. Apesar de diferentes abordagens utilizadas para mensurar as condições de interesse, cerca de uma em quatro pessoas é acometida por xerostomia, com taxas mais elevadas sendo observadas na população idosa. Além disso, os métodos de mensuração podem ter super- ou subestimado os valores de xerostomia. Os achados do presente estudo salientam a necessidade de mais estudos acerca das existentes e novas formas de avaliação clínica, os quais serão úteis para determinar qual é a mais confiável para as perspectivas clínicas e epidemiológicas.