Evaluation of an infrared light absorption method for objective assessment of oral mucosal dryness

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate an infrared light absorption (ILA) method for registration of dryness of the oral mucosa. Measurements were performed in the buccal and in the lip mucosa immediately before and every 30min after submucosal injection of 1.0 ml methyl-scopolamine nitrate in nine healthy subjects. For comparison, a dental mirror sliding friction test was used. About 1.5 h after injection the ILA method showed statistically significant (p < 0.01) decreases of values in both the buccal and the lip mucosa. However, in the individual subjects the deviations from initial values showed only slight agreement when measured with the ILA method and the mirror friction test. Thus, the ILA method does not seem to be suitable for registration of individual variations in oral mucosal dryness.

Key Words:

• Saliva
• xerostomia
• methods