Prevalence of xerostomia and its impacts on oral health in type 2 diabetic patients at a Nigerian tertiary hospital: a cross-sectional study

Diabetes mellitus is globally prevalent and associated with significant health and socioeconomic burden. Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) occurs in about four-fifths of type 2 diabetic patients. Xerostomia has been shown to affect oral health-related quality of life in people affected by the condition. To determine the prevalence of xerostomia and its oral health impact among type 2 diabetic patients attending the diabetic outpatient clinic in a Nigerian tertiary hospital. The study was a cross-sectional study which involved 220 adult patients of both genders attending the diabetic outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in south-west Nigeria, who were assessed with the Xerostomia Inventory and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14). The saliva test kits by GC Corporation were used to assess xerostomia further. There were 96 males and 124 females. The mean age was 61.67 years ± 11.6, and the age range was 35 to 86 years. There was no statistical significance in the association between age (p = 0.459) and gender (p = 0.088) and xerostomia. The prevalence of xerostomia was 27.7%, and it significantly impacted all domains of the OHIP-14 (p = 0.001). The domains of physical disability and physical pain were most affected, with a median score of 4.0 (p = 0.001). This study reports that approximately a fourth of type 2 diabetic patients experience xerostomia, which significantly impacts their oral health-related quality of life.