The effect of age on the severity of dry mouth occurring in patients receiving high dose radioactive iodine treatment

Abstract

Aims: Dry mouth of individuals causes many oral discomforts and undesirable conditions. In order to prevent such an undesirable situation from occurring, it is aimed to complete the Radioactive Iodine Therapy (RAI) treatment with less damage by mastering all possible factors. In our study, we aimed to find the level of the effect of the age factor. Methods: In this study, we included patients who received high-dose radioactive iodine treatment after total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer and were hospitalized in our clinic. These patients were selected among the patients who applied to our hospital between 2021-2022. We specifically focused on patients who reported dry mouth and obtained salivary gland scintigraphies of their submandibular glands. Afterwards, we looked at the ratio of the age of the patients with the level of dry mouth. We analyzed the collected data using statistical methods. Results: The data analysis was performed using the Chi-square (χ2) test and the Spearman correlation test to examine the relationship between age and the severity of dry mouth in patients undergoing high-dose RAI treatment for thyroid cancer. Our hypotheses were two-sided, and statistical significance was considered at p-values ≤0.05. The results of our analysis revealed that there was no significant direct correlation between age and the severity of dry mouth in the patients. This suggests that age is not a determining factor for the occurrence or severity of dry mouth in individuals receiving high-dose RAI treatment. Conclusion: In our study, it was concluded that the age factor alone was not a determining factor in terms of the severity of dry mouth. Therefore, it is important to consider additional factors and potential underlying causes when evaluating and managing dry mouth in patients receiving high-dose RAI therapy for thyroid cancer.