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Subjective Aspects of Dry Mouth

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Abstract

Xerostomia is not a trivial condition: it affects the day-to-day lives of sufferers in important ways. Appropriate definition and accurate measurement are critical for better understanding, monitoring and treatment of xerostomia. This chapter describes and evaluates the various measurement approaches. These range from single-item methods to multi-item summated rating scales. All have advantages and disadvantages. The one which is chosen depends on the use to which the data will be put, the need to minimise respondent burden, the ability to make comparisons with the findings of others and the research question being investigated.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dental Epidemiology and Public Health, Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Sir John Walsh Research Institute, The University of Otago, 280 Great King St, Dunedin, Otago, 9054, New Zealand

    W. Murray Thomson BSc, BDS, MA, MComDent, PhD

Authors
  1. W. Murray Thomson BSc, BDS, MA, MComDent, PhD
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Correspondence to W. Murray Thomson BSc, BDS, MA, MComDent, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Salivary Research, Kings College London Dental Institute, London, United Kingdom

    Guy Carpenter

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Thomson, W.M. (2015). Subjective Aspects of Dry Mouth. In: Carpenter, G. (eds) Dry Mouth. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55154-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55154-3_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-55153-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-55154-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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