Dry mouth

A dry mouth can also make swallowing difficult , while the digestive processes do not suffer particular negative consequences (the lack of intervention of the salivary amylase is amply compensated by the pancreatic one ). In addition to dryness of the oral mucosa, the patient may complain of sore throat , chapped lips , constant thirst , difficulty speaking, bad breath , gum disease and fungal infections of the mouth (see oral candidiasis or thrush ).

Causes

Diet

Having a dry mouth from time to time is a completely normal phenomenon, often the result of slight dehydration caused by too much sweat , poor fluid intake or excessive ingestion of alcohol or salty foods. We remind you that under normal conditions the salivary glands produce and secrete about one to one and a half liters of saliva per day.

Medicines

In addition to food, dry mouth can have iatrogenic origins , i.e. linked to the intake of certain medicines.

The list of offending drugs is quite long and includes in particular pharmaceutical products used for the treatment of depression , anxiety , Parkinson’s disease , obesity ( sibutramine , phendimetrazine, amphetamine derivatives), urinary incontinence and cancer ( chemotherapy ), but also narcotics , antihistamines – decongestants , antihypertensives ( diuretics ), antidiarrheals and muscle relaxants .

Smoking and Drugs

Tobacco (smoked or chewed), exercising while breathing through the mouth , and talking or singing too much can make dry mouth feel worse.

In other cases, the drying up can be determined by the abuse of drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, ephedrine and amphetamines, or alcohol (which has a dehydrating effect on the body).

Diseases and Disorders

A nasal obstruction ( septum deviations , allergic rhinitis , nasal polyposis, etc.), which forces the patient to breathe through the mouth, can make it parched like the conditions listed above.

Among the diseases responsible for dry mouth , Sjogrens syndrome stands out , followed by common diabetes and insipidus , mumps ( mumps ), cystic fibrosis and psychological disorders ( depression and anxiety); the sensation of dry mouth can also be perceived by patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease or who have suffered a heart attack .

When dry mouth is accompanied by excessive sweating and marked thinness , it can be a sign of a thyroid disease called hyperthyroidism .

Dry mouth can also be caused by injury to the salivary glands, for example due to a trauma to the head, surgery or localized radiotherapy to the neck and head (in which case the injury may be irreversible).

Read more: Dry Mouth: Causes and Symptoms »

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of xerostomia, the doctor or dentist carefully examines the patient’s clinical history and the symptoms he complains of; careful inspection of the oral cavity and palpation of the neck and cheeks – possibly associated with blood tests or imaging techniques (diagnostic imaging) – will possibly help him identify the origins of the problem. At home, dry mouth can be “diagnosed” by ingesting crackers or dry rice : if you have difficulty chewing or swallowing, the test is considered “positive”.