A new easy way to measure dry mouth
23 September 2011
On 2 September 2011, an event was held to launch the Challacombe Scale, an easy-to-use tool for identifying and quantifying the severity of dry mouth, developed by Professor Stephen Challacombe at King’s College London Dental Institute. The method is suitable for use by general dental practitioners, hygienists and dental therapists.
The Challacombe Scale is based on a Clinical Oral Dryness Score (CODS) and lists ten key features of dry mouth, accompanied by example images, and allocates one point for each feature. The patient’s additive score indicates whether the dry mouth is mild (a score of 1-3), moderate (4-6) or severe (7-10) and suggests what action to take next.
Free posters of the scale are available from CCMed and practices are encouraged to position them prominently in the waiting room and include patients’ scores in their clinical notes.
On the launch day, which was held at Tylney Hall in Hampshire, there were in-depth presentations by Professor Stephen Challacombe, the eponymous creator of the scale, as well as Dr Pepe Shirlaw, Consultant in Oral Medicine at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Suzie Moore, Consultant in Restorative Dentistry and Honorary Senior Specialist Clinical Teacher at the Dental Institute and Professor Tim Newton, who leads the Institute’s Social & Behavioural Science (Dentistry) research group.
CCMed is the provider of A.S Saliva Orthana, a pH neutral, natural mucin-based saliva substitute for sufferers of dry mouth, available in a 50ml mouth spray and mint lozenges.
For further information, to receive a free Challacombe Scale poster for your clinic or to enquire about CPD surrounding the Scale please visit the Challacombe Scale website.