Dry Mouth & Drooling Treatment

Saliva is essential to oral health as it helps swallowing, talking and taste, and protects the mouth and teeth.

Patients who have report dryness of mouth (Xerostomia) or experience a decreased salivary flow (Hyposalivation) suffer from lack of oral lubrication, affecting many functions, and may develop infections.

What causes dryness of mouth?

Some of the causes of dryness of mouth include

Advancing age
Many medications cause dryness of mouth such as medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep etc.
Dry mouth is common in mouth-breathers
During periods of anxiety.
Irradiation involving head and neck especially the salivary glands
stem cell transplant (bone marrow transplant)
Dehydration
Disorders affecting salivary glands such as rheumatoid conditions or infections
Obstruction of ducts discharging saliva in the mouth
Psychogenic causes

What are the issues related to dryness of mouth?

Difficulty in swallowing- especially in eating dry foods, such as chips or biscuits
Difficulty in wearing dentures
Difficulty in speaking
Mouth soreness/burning sensation
Intolerance of acidic and spicy food
Unpleasant taste or change in taste
A dry mucosa – the lips adhere one to another, tongue sticks to the palate
Lipstick or food debris sticking to the teeth
Viscous frothy saliva
Redness and fissuring of tongue
Bad breath
Fungal infections
Increased risk of dental caries
Infections of salivary glands

How is dryness of mouth diagnosed and treated?

Dryness of mouth is a clinical diagnosis but investigations are needed to determine the cause of decrease in salivary flow. These could include

Blood tests
Urine analysis
Salivary flow rate tests
Eye tests
Salivary gland biopsy
Chest X-ray
Cone beam CT
Sialography
Scintigraphy
Sialoendoscopy
Ultrasound
MRI

Treatment of dryness of mouth not only depends on treating the underlying cause but also managing the complications associated with dry mouth.

What is Drooling/Excessive salivation?

Drooling occurs when saliva goes beyond the margins of the lips. Drooling caused by increase in salivary flow is termed Sialorrhoea or Ptyalism.

Drooling can result of the result of either an increase in saliva production or a decrease in salivary clearance

Some of the causes of drooling include

Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Infant teething
Local irritations
An ill-fitting appliance
Certain medications
Heavy metal poisoning
Neurologic changes such as in a cerebral vascular accident (CVA), neuromuscular diseases
Idiopathic paroxysmal hypersalivation

Excessive salivation can result in

drooling and choking which can produce social embarrassment
aspiration pneumonia
bad breath
macerated sores around the mouth and chin that can get secondary bacterial or fungal infection
constant soiling of clothes and bed linens