| Xerostomia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Dry mouth,[1] dry mouth syndrome[2] |
 | |
| 3D medical illustration still showing decreased or insufficient functioning of salivary glands. | |
Xerostomia, also known as dry mouth, is a subjective complaint of dryness in the mouth, which may be associated with a change in the composition of saliva, or reduced salivary flow, or have no identifiable cause.[1]
This symptom is very common and is often seen as a side effect of many types of medication. It is more common in older people (mostly because this group tend to take several medications) and in people who breathe through their mouths. Dehydration, radiotherapy involving the salivary glands, chemotherapy and several diseases can cause reduced salivation (hyposalivation), or a change in saliva consistency and hence a complaint of xerostomia. Sometimes there is no identifiable cause, and there may sometimes be a psychogenic reason for the complaint.[1]
- ^ a b c Scully, Crispian (2008). Oral and maxillofacial medicine : the basis of diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. pp. 17, 31, 41, 79–85. ISBN 9780443068188.
- ^ Wijers OB, Levendag PC, Braaksma MM, Boonzaaijer M, Visch LL, Schmitz PI (2002), "Patients with head and neck cancer cured by radiation therapy: a survey of the dry mouth syndrome in long-term survivors", Head Neck, 24 (8): 737–747, doi:10.1002/hed.10129, PMID 12203798, S2CID 21262893.