Chapter 3 ABSTRACT Objectives Recently, it was shown that the Regional Oral Dryness Inventory (RODI) could determinedifferences indry-mouthperceptionat different intra-oral locations. The mainaimof this studywas todeterminewhether theRODImight help todiscriminate between various causes of oral dryness in dry-mouth patients. The second aim was to ascertain whether the RODI could become an additional diagnostic tool in dry-mouth patients. Materials andmethods Data were collected retrospectively from patients who visited a specialized saliva clinic. Salivary flow rates, Xerostomia Inventory scores, and RODI scores were extracted from the medical records. Patients were stratified into subgroups according to their health status. Result Five hundred twenty-eight patients participated in this study (mean age of 59.6 ± 16.0 years; 68.4% female). Specific patient groups differed with regard to the region of themouth they experienced as themost and least dry. The posterior palatewas the area perceived as most dry by controls and Sjögren patients. In patients using limitedormultiplemedications, it was theanterior tongue. RODI scores alsodiffered significantlyamongdry-mouthpatient groups: whereascontrolsandpatientsusing limited medication had the lowest RODI scores and experienced less intra-oral dryness, Sjögren patients had the highest RODI scores. Conclusion Our useof theRODI questionnaire showed that perceived intra-oral drynessdiffered between the various dry-mouth patients. Clinical relevance The RODI can be a valuable clinical diagnostic tool in dry-mouth diagnostics, in which it can be used to discriminate between the various causes of oral dryness in patients. Keywords: Drymouth, Xerostomia, Salivary flowrate, Salivary pH, Xerostomia Inventory 48
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