<unk>  inside a dental hygienist's surgery Dry mouth (xerostomia) is frequently caused by medication and to a lesser extent, by anxiety or Sjögren's syndrome. It can be useful to have the extent of dryness recorded. That is, if a person has a complaint of a dry mouth, the clinician can apply the<unk>  to determine its severity and whether treatment is required. The scale also provides a common reference point, allowing progress or deterioration to be monitored. The<unk>  score can be used to assess dry mouth in Sjögren syndrome and to assess salivary flow and therefore calculate a risk of dental caries, which are more likely in drier mouths. The score correlates with the rate of salivary flow and with the wetness of the mouth, indicated by the thickness of the mucosal film on the inside of the cheeks, on the palate and on the tongue. While a high score indicates the need for treatment and investigation, a low score may indicate the need not to intervene, a decision frequently more difficult to make.
Challacombe scale
Mentzer index
Jadad scale
Levine scale
Eagle score
Jaeger chart
Darrow Yannet diagram
Baux score