Dry mouth

It is an unpleasant condition that leaves your mouth feeling sticky and dry. It can make you feel thirsty, and make you throat feel dry. It can cause a tingling feeling in the mouth, and make it difficult for you to swallow, to taste, to chew and to speak. It can also give you bad breath and leave your nasal passages and your tongue dry.

What factors affect dry mouth?
There are many different factors that affect saliva production. Saliva is incredibly important as it helps to digest your food, protects the teeth from decay, controls bacteria and fungi in the mouth and makes it possible for you to swallow and to chew.

Age. Even though dry mouth is not a normal part of ageing, it is more prevalent in older people. Many older people also wear dentures, which can contribute to dry mouth.

Gender. More women than men experience dry mouth. Many pregnant women experience dry mouth as well.

People under stress. Stress and anxiety can cause dry mouth in people of all ages. Ironically, many medications for anxiety and stress actually make this condition worse.

Diabetes and HIV/Aids. Diabetics and those with HIV/Aids are more prone to suffering from dry mouth.

Possible causes
There are many different things that can affect saliva production.

• Breathing with your mouth open can cause dry mouth. Many people experience this when they have flu and because of a blocked nose, breathe through their mouth while sleeping.

• Dehydration. Vomiting, diarrhoea, insufficient water intake, excessive sweating and fever can all cause dry mouth.

• Several medical conditions can have dry mouth as a symptom. These include HIV/Aids, Alzheimer’s disease, anaemia, cystic fibrosis, stroke, mumps, hypertension, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and Sjögren’s syndrome.

• Dry mouth is often caused by specific medications used to treat pain, allergies, depression and anxiety. Decongestants and antihistamines are known for causing dry mouth, as are some medications used to treat diarrhoea, nausea, psychotic disorders, epilepsy, acne and hypertension.

• Smoking can affect saliva production as well.

• Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are known for causing dry mouth. Chemotherapy often causes saliva to thicken, which can cause the mouth to feel dry.

• Nerve damage to the head or the neck can affect the working of the salivary glands.

• Excessive caffeine and alcohol intake can contribute to dehydration, which in turn can lead to dry mouth.

Tests
Doctors and dentists rely on patients to report if they have this condition. If a patient has a condition such as Alzheimer’s disease, the doctor will be on the lookout for signs that the patient has a dry mouth, and treat it accordingly.

Treatment
There are many different things that can be done to treat dry mouth. These range from changing the medication someone is taking that is causing the dry mouth, to using artificial saliva to keep your mouth wet, to taking medication to increase saliva production.

There are also many things you can do, which include drinking water often, avoiding caffeine, alcohol and smoking, using a humidifier at night, having a drink of water with your meals and chewing sugarless gum to stimulate saliva production.

It is important not to ignore a dry mouth, as it can increase your risk for gingivitis, tooth decay and mouth infections.