4. Discussion
Drooling can be assessed objectively using the drooling
quotient, which results in a reliable outcome on severity and
frequency of drooling [12]. However, it is not feasible in all
patients. In addition, drooling severity varies during daily life
situations [4]. Subjective measures based on the opinion of the
parents or the caregivers such as DSFS and the number of bib
changes currently play a significant role in evaluating treatment
outcome.
In this study, the positive correlation coefficient between DQ
and DSFS was high indicating that DSFS could be used for guidance
of clinical decisions instead of the more time-consuming DQ.
However, the Spearman’s rank correlation indicated that there was
a higher positive association between DQ and Drooling Severity
than between DQ and Drooling Frequency. This suggests that for
guidance of clinical decisions, the Drooling Severity subcomponent
of the DSFS might be used by itself to assess drooling.