Salivary changes, oral symptoms, and oral health-related quality of life in patients with neuromuscular diseases

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the salivary flow, the presence of oral symptoms, and the oral health-related quality of life perceptions among individuals with neuromuscular diseases. Materials and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study, with 30 individuals with neuromuscular diseases treated at a neurorehabilitation clinic of a Brazilian university hospital from October to December 2017. Anamnesis, assessment of resting salivary flow, and measurement of salivary pH were performed. The instrument Oral Health Impact Profile-14 was used to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and chi-square test, using a 5% significance level (p <0.05). Results: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis was the most common disease in the group (50 %). The mean resting salivary flow was 0.44 ml/min, where it was found 43.3 % of high salivary flow and 3.3 % of hypo-salivation. The mean salivary pH found was 6.47 ± 0.57, where 56.6 % of the patients had neutral pH and 40% low pH. The most prevalent oral symptoms were dysphagia (56.7%) and xerostomia (43.3%). The mean Oral Health Impact Profile-14 was 5.54 ± 4.93, with 90% of patients presenting some impact of oral conditions on quality of life. A statistically significant association (p <0.05) between the quality of life and symptoms of dysphagia, xerostomia, oral burning, and sialorrhea was found. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 dimensions with the highest percentages were psychological inability (14.5%) and functional limitation (13.5 %). Conclusion: The majority of patients presented salivary gland dysfunction with high salivary flows. The presence of oral symptoms negatively influenced the individual’s quality of life perceptions of individuals with neuromuscular diseases.