Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge Regarding Dry Mouth

Objectives: To investigate the knowledge of Victorian Community Pharmacists regarding dry mouth.
Methods: A questionnaire was posted to each community pharmacy in Victoria (n=1310). It was requested that one pharmacist from each pharmacy complete the questionnaire. No stipulation was given regarding which pharmacist at pharmacies with multiple pharmacists should complete the questionnaire. Pharmacists were asked to record the three main causes of dry mouth, and the consequences of having a dry mouth.
Results: Five hundred and twenty-eight pharmacists (age range 21 to 78 years; 52% female, 48% male) responded to the questionnaire. Pharmacists’ knowledge of the three main causes of dry mouth was categorised into nine groups, with the percentage of pharmacists reporting Drugs (98.3%), Medical Conditions (48.3%), Dehydration (38.1%), Age-related (33.7%), Cancer Treatment (16.7%), Oral/Dental Cause (16.5%), Sleep-related/Mouth Breathing (11.6%), Lifestyle (9.8%), Other (9.1%). Oral/Dental Causes included gum disease, poor oral hygiene, oral appliances, dental work, nonspecific dental/tooth problems and nonspecific oral problems. Pharmacists’ knowledge of the consequences of dry mouth was categorised into seven groups with the percentage of pharmacists reporting Oral/Dental Diseases (64.2%), Nutritional/Functional Problems (58.5%), Pain/Discomfort (38.6%), Decreased Quality of Life (7.6%), Psychological/Behavioural Issues (7.0%), Sleep Disturbance (4.2%) and Thirst (4.2%). The most frequently recorded Oral/Dental Disease was caries (30.5%), and the most frequently recorded Nutritional/Functional Problem was halitosis (32.6%).
Conclusions: Knowledge of the causes and consequences of dry mouth in this sample of Victorian Community Pharmacists was good in general. A minority of pharmacists had some misconceptions regarding oral/dental causes of dry mouth.