노인 구강건조증 환자들의 설태 양상에 관한 고찰
Study on Tongue Coating Patterns of the Xerostomia in the Elderly Patients
김주연, 박재우, 김민지, 김슬기, 김진성, 손지영, 한가진, 고석재, 장승원
초록
ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to analyze the characteristics of the tongue coating pattern in the elderly patients withxerostomia. MethodsNinety-six elderly patients with xerostomia were recruited by advertisement and they visited the oral diseasesclinics at Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital and Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdongfrom November, 2011 to August, 2013. After signifying the assent, the subjects who passed screening wereenrolled this study. The subjects were evaluated on their clinical characteristics of xerostomia using visualanalogue scale for xerostomia, dry mouth questionnaire, unstimulated salivary flow rate. In addition, Yin-deficiencyquestionnaire was used to evaluate the Yin-deficiency state and Winkel tongue coating index and Digital Tongueimagin system were used to measure the tongue coating of patients. ResultsThe proportion of women was higher than that of men, and there were few smokers in this study population. This population had chronic and relatively severe xerostomia symptoms. Also, thin coating pattern was showedin this elderly patients with xerostomia and this result was regarded to the influence of Yin-deficiency. The thincoating patten was observed in the group with higher Yin-deficiency score. There was no difference in tonguecoating between the hyposalivation and normosalivation group. ConclusionIn the elderly patients with xerostomia, Yin-deficiency is might be considered as one of the main cause ofxerostomia. Hence, it is thought that this patients showed the thin coating pattern. This results could be usedin diagnosis and treatment for the elderly patients with xerostomia in traditional Korean medicine.