Dry Mouth Disease

Xerostemia (dry mouth) is a condition that causes a lack of saliva. While everyone experiences this dryness from time to time, chronic dry mouth can lead to dental problems and issues with eating and digestion. Treatment will depend on the exact cause of the xerostemia.

Causes

• Certain types of medication decrease saliva production. The most common are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, antihistamines, decongestants, high blood pressure medications, anti-diarrheals, muscle relaxants, urinary incontinence medications and drugs for Parkinson's disease.

  Chemotherapy agents can alter the nature and amount of saliva. Radiation to your head and neck can damage the salivary glands, leading to decreased saliva production. Nerve damage to your head can also damage the salivary glands. Tobacco, either smoked or chewed, will not cause dry mouth but can aggravate the condition.

Symptoms

• Inadequate saliva production causes a number of symptoms. The most obvious is dryness in the mouth. Additional symptoms include thick, stringy saliva, sores or split skin at the corners of the mouth, cracked lips, bad breath, difficulty swallowing or speaking, sore throat, distorted sense of taste, fungal infections in the mouth and increased plaque, tooth decay and gum disease.

Treatment

• Since dry mouth is often a side effect of certain medications, your only treatment might be to adjust dosages or change medications. You might also get a prescription for pilocarpine (Salagen) or cevimeline (Evoxac), which encourage saliva production.

Self-Care Strategies

• Decrease your caffeine intake; it makes the mouth drier. Chew sugar free gum or suck on sugar-free candies. Dry mouth puts you at higher risk of tooth decay so you should avoid sugary and acidic foods. Drink water throughout the day.

  Use fluoride toothpastes and mouthwashes; do not use a mouthwash containing alcohol. You might benefit from over-the-counter saliva substitutes such as Biotene and Oralbalance. Do not use over-the-counter antihistamines or decongestants. They aggravate xerostemia. Put a humidifier in your room to increase moisture in the air.

Acupuncture

• According to the Mayo Clinic, studies on acupuncture as a treatment for this condition have produced positive results.It seems to be effective no matter what is causing the dry mouth. Although researchers clearly see it is beneficial, they have not determined why and are currently performing research to discover exactly how acupuncture works for xerostemia.