Health conditions that lead to dry mouth syndrome

  

We all suffer from dry mouth in our life. Dry mouth is more prevalent in female as compared to males. Elderly people are more prone to oral dryness. Dry mouth syndrome is due to inadequate flow of saliva.

Saliva is important to maintain oral health and has vital role in performing oral and gastrointestinal functions. Saliva keeps the teeth healthy as it functions as lubricant and provide calcium. It also helps in maintaining good health of gums, oral tissues and control bacteria in mouth. When there is insufficient flow of saliva, it leads to mouth disease and infection.

Dry mouth can occur when the glands in the mouth that make saliva are not working properly. Some major causes of dry mouth syndrome include nervousness, stress, certain medications, aging, cancer therapy (radiation/chemotherapy), and autoimmune disorders. Diabetes, a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high and as a result, person may feel dry mouth. Other conditions that result in dry mouth are anxiety, AIDS, Primary biliary cirrhosis, bone marrow transplantation, vasculitis, graft vs host disease, renal dialysis, and chronic active hepatitis.

 People who have reduced saliva secretion are prone to dental carries, oral infections and show symptoms of dry and sour mouth, burning sensation, trouble speaking, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness or dry nasal passages. They have problem in wearing denture, eating, swallowing food. They have problem in speaking due to mouth soreness.

If people suffer from dry mouth, they need to maintain good oral hygiene to reduce the risk of dental problems.

Preventive measures: to avoid dry mouth condition, persons must increase fluid intake, take regular sips of cold water or an unsweetened drink, suck on sugar-free sweets or chew sugar-free gum which can stimulate salivary glands to produce more saliva. It is also recommended to suck on ice cubes. It is advised to avoid alcohol (including alcohol-based mouthwashes), caffeine and smoking as these can lead to severe dry mouth.

To wrap up the facts, dry mouth syndrome is basically saliva dysfunction and it adversely impact on the oral health of person. Several conditions leads to saliva reduction such as diabetes, unbalanced diet, radiotherapy, stress, tobacco use. People who have dry mouth show symptoms of burning mouth, cracked lips, gum inflammation, sour mouth. To prevent this problem, patients are advised to drink more fluid, use sugar free chewing gums, avoid certain medicines that restrict the flow of saliva and improve oral care.

Important: This article is developed through environmental information and personal view of writer. Writer is not responsible for any disagreement.