ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE Prevalence of Drug-Induced Xerostomia in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: An Observational Study Jose ´ Antonio Gil-Montoya 1,5 • Rocı ´o Barrios 1 • Ine ´s Sa ´nchez-Lara 1 • Cristobal Carnero-Pardo 2 • Francisco Fornieles-Rubio 3 • Juan Montes 4 • Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Moles 1 • Manuel Bravo 1 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 Abstract Background Older adults, especially those with cognitive impairment or dementia, frequently consume drugs with potential xerostomic effects that impair their quality of life and oral health. Objectives The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and analyze the possible pharmacological etiology of xerostomia in older people with or without cognitive impairment. Methods Individuals with cognitive impairment were recruited from patients diagnosed using standardized cri- teria in two neurology departments in Southern Spain. A comparison group was recruited from healthcare centers in the same city after ruling out cognitive impairment. Data on oral health, xerostomia, and drug consumption were recorded in both groups. Dry mouth was evaluated using a 1-item questionnaire and recording clinical signs of oral dryness. All drugs consumed by the participants were recorded, including memantine, anticholinesterases, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anxiolytics. Results The final sample comprised 200 individuals with mild cognitive impairment or dementia and 156 without. Xerostomia was present in 70.5 % of participants with cog- nitive impairment versus 36.5 % of those without, regardless of the drug consumed. Memantine consumption was the only variable significantly related to xerostomia in the multivariate model (OR 3.1; 95 % CI 1.1–8.7), and this relationship per- sisted after adjusting for possible confounders and forcing the inclusion of drugs with xerostomic potential. Conclusions More than 70 % of participants diagnosed with cognitive impairment or dementia had xerostomia. Anticholinesterases and memantine were both associated with the presence of xerostomia. In the case of memantine, this association was independent of the consumption of the other drugs considered. Key Points Individuals with cognitive impairment or dementia may consume drugs with potential xerostomic effects. In this study, more than half of older individuals had xerostomia and clinical signs of dry mouth. In this study, memantine and anticholinesterases were associated with the presence of xerostomia. 1 Introduction It was estimated that more than 35 million persons worldwide had dementia in 2010, and this number is expected to double every 20 years [1]. Cognitive & Jose ´ Antonio Gil-Montoya jagil@ugr.es 1 Bio-Health Research Institute of Granada, School of Dentistry, Granada, Spain 2 Neurology Department, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Granada, Spain 3 Unit of Clinical Management Oro-Dental Health Granada- Metropolitan, Granada, Spain 4 Neurology Department, ‘‘San Cecilio’’ University Hospital, Granada, Spain 5 Facultad de Odontologı ´a, Universidad de Granada, c/ Paseo de Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain Drugs Aging DOI 10.1007/s40266-016-0386-x