| Have humans lost moisture? Lately don't you often see people carrying around bottled drinks? In Japan, soft drink containers have increased in size compared to ten years ago. There is a global tendency towards worsening dry symptoms of the entire body due to environmental changes. Dry mouth appears as a symptom of various disorders and it goes without saying that it can cause tooth decay, periodontal disease and bad breath. In Japan there are approximately 8 million patients suffering from dry eye and it is thought that many of these patients also have dry mouth symptoms (xerostomia). Furthermore, in the United States and Europe, epidemiological studies have reported that 25％ of the population suffer from this disease. Converting this number to the Japanese population would mean approximately 30 million patients. However, there are few general dentists who know how to treat this disease and so patients are searching for dentists with specialist knowledge of dry mouth. The Dry Mouth Society in Japan was established in May 2002 and there are now over 1,200 members (as of December 2004). We are engaged in research to elucidate the etiology and find more effective treatment methods for the ever-increasing number of patients of this common disease. Also in order to promote better understanding of this disease and establish national level diagnosis and treatment guidelines, we are proactively carrying out activities towards all those involved in dental medicine. |
