In the dental and oral status questions, which item records dry mouth?

In the dental and oral status questions, which item records dry mouth?

• A. Wears a denture
• B. Has broken, fragmented, loose, or nonintact natural teeth
• C. Reports having dry mouth
• D. Reports difficulty chewing

Answer: (C)

Dry mouth is a subjective symptom best captured by asking the person to report it. In the dental and oral status items, the specific record of this symptom comes from the response that states the person reports having dry mouth. The other items describe prosthetic status (wearing a denture), structural tooth condition (broken or loose teeth), or functional ability (difficulty chewing), none of which indicate dryness. So the self-report of dry mouth directly identifies this condition and is the correct way to log it.

Dry mouth is a subjective symptom best captured by asking the person to report it. In the dental and oral status items, the specific record of this symptom comes from the response that states the person reports having dry mouth. The other items describe prosthetic status (wearing a denture), structural tooth condition (broken or loose teeth), or functional ability (difficulty chewing), none of which indicate dryness. So the self-report of dry mouth directly identifies this condition and is the correct way to log it.