Xerostomia - A Comprehensive Review with a Focus on Mid-Life Health.

Xerostomia is defined as the subjective complaint of a dry mouth. Xerostomia is common in menopausal women owing to the hormonal changes which take place during midlife. Studies show a higher incidence of oral cancer in the postmenopausal period which substantiates the theory of estrogen deficiency in carcinogenesis. Radiotherapy in the treatment of these cancers can lead to oral dryness. Other etiological factors of xerostomia include systemic diseases commonly occurring in middle-aged individuals and xerogenic drugs. Saliva plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of oropharyngeal health and xerostomia can severely impair the quality of life. The aim of this review was to provide vital information pertaining to the etiology, signs, diagnosis, and treatment of xerostomia with an emphasis on midlife health. The articles for this review were obtained from PubMed Central, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Science Direct, Medknow, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and authorized textbooks published between 1988 and 2021.

Acinic cell carcinoma of the posterior buccal mucosa: A rare case report.

Acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) is a low-grade malignant salivary gland neoplasm that comprises approximately 17% of primary salivary gland malignancies or about 6% of all salivary gland neoplasms. The most common intraoral sites are the buccal mucosa, lips, and palate. The diagnosis of ACC frequently presents difficulties, owing to its great radiological and cytological similarity with benign tumors and with normal acinar component of the salivary gland, respectively. The management of ACC consists of complete surgical excision. Here, we report a case of ACC on the left retromolar trigone, a rare location in a 44-year-old female.

Condylar Changes and Its Association with Age, TMD, and Dentition Status: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of radiographic changes in the condylar morphology and its association with age, clinical signs and symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction and dentition status and also to evaluate the intra examiner and inter examiner reliability in assessing condylar changes using panoramic radiographs. A total of 75 subjects were recruited for the study. They were divided into 3 age groups. 20-40 yrs (Group A), 41-60 yrs (Group B) and 61 yrs and above (Group C). In each age group 25 subjects were evaluated both clinically and radiographically. The prevalence of radiographic changes in condylar morphology and symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction was 81.3% and 18.6%, respectively. Radiographic abnormalities in the mandibular condylar morphology increased with age. They were seen more frequently in patients with clinical signs and symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction and in patients with loss of teeth. Intra examiner and inter examiner reliability was high indicating a good reliability in assessing the condylar changes using panoramic radiograph.

Maxillary sinus findings in the elderly: a panoramic radiographic study.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of maxillary sinus findings in elderly subjects above the age of 50 through the use of panoramic radiography and to test the hypothesis that such findings are more prevalent in dentate subjects. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 105 subjects over the age of 50 years were examined both clinically and radiographically in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology of the Manipal College of Dental Sciences in Manipal, India, over a period of three months for various reasons. Eight were excluded due to the lack of diagnostic quality of their radiographs. The manually calculated kappa test was used to determine the statistical significance of intra-examiner reliability. The other data were analyzed using a manually calculated z-test for proportions where z > or = 1.96 or p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of radiographic maxillary sinus findings in 97 elderly subjects (aged above 50 years) were investigated with the use of panoramic radiography. Fifty subjects had at least one natural tooth radiographically in the upper jaw and 39 subjects were radiographically edentulous in the upper jaw. Mucous cysts or diffused mucosal thickenings were found in 42.26% of the subjects. Of the mucosal thickenings, 74.35% were found in subjects with a dentate upper jaw (p < 0.05). The prevalence of a mucous cyst was 2.06% in subjects with a dentate upper jaw and a finding of no mucous cysts in edentulous subjects suggests an odontogenic cause. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of the present study, the presence of mucosal thickening or mucosal cysts may be due to the presence of irritative stimuli, often an infection of dental origin, as these findings are more prevalent in dentulous subjects. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The panoramic radiograph is an excellent diagnostic tool for the identification of mucosal thickening and mucosal cysts. The accurate diagnosis of infective foci (chronic apical periodontitis, deep pockets caused by periodontitis) is necessary, because in conditions of decreased host resistance it may lead to acute sinusitis.

The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in patients visiting a dental school in Southern India.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in Manipal, Karnataka State, India. A total of 1190 subjects who visited the department of oral medicine and radiology for diagnosis of various oral complaints over a period of 3 months were interviewed and clinically examined for oral mucosal lesions. The result showed the presence of one or more mucosal lesions in (41.2%) of the population. Fordyce's condition was observed most frequently (6.55%) followed by frictional keratosis (5.79%), fissured tongue (5.71%), leukoedema (3.78%), smoker's palate (2.77%), recurrent aphthae, oral submucous fibrosis (2.01%), oral malignancies (1.76%), leukoplakia (1.59%), median rhomboid glossitis (1.50%), candidiasis (1.3%), lichen planus (1.20%), varices (1.17%), traumatic ulcer and oral hairy leukoplakia (1.008%), denture stomatitis, geographic tongue, betel chewer's mucosa and irritational fibroma (0.84%), herpes labialis, angular cheilitis (0.58%), and mucocele (0.16%). Mucosal lesions like tobacco-related lesions (leukoplakia, smoker's palate, oral submucous fibrosis, and oral malignancies) were more prevalent among men than among women. Denture stomatitis, herpes labialis, and angular cheilitis occurred more frequently in the female population.