Abnormal dryness of the mouth.
[New Latin xērostomia : XERO- + Greek -stomos, mouthed; see ozostomia.]
xerostomia
Dictionary:
xer·o·sto·mi·a (zîr'ə-stō'mē-ə)  |
| 5min Related Video: Xerostomia |
| Oncology Encyclopedia: Xerostomia |
Key Terms: Oral cavity, Sialogogue.
Description
Xerostomia, also known as dry mouth, is marked by a significant reduction in the secretion of saliva. Signs and symptoms of xerostomia include:
- dryness of the mouth
- cracked lips, cuts, or cracks at the corners of the mouth
- taste changes
- a burning sensation of the tongue
- changes in the surface of the tongue
- difficulty wearing dental appliances (like dentures)
- difficulty swallowing fluids accompanied by an increase in thirst Xerostomia makes the mouth less able to neutralize acid, clean the teeth and gums, and protect itself from infection. This can lead to the development of gum disease and cavities.
Saliva is necessary for carrying out the normal functions of the oral cavity, such as taste, speech, and swallowing. Saliva provides calcium and phosphate, minerals that protect the teeth against softening. It also contains substances inhibiting the production of bacteria that cause tooth decay. In addition, saliva buffers the acids produced when leftover food particles are broken down by bacteria.
Xerostomia causes the following mouth changes that can contribute to discomfort for the patient, and an increased risk for oral lesions:
- Saliva becomes thick and is less able to lubricate the mouth.
- Acids in the mouth cannot be neutralized, leading to mineral loss from the teeth.
- There is an increased risk for cavities because the mouth is less able to control bacteria.
- Plaque becomes thicker and heavier because of the patient's difficulty in maintaining good oral hygiene.
- The acid produced after eating or drinking sugary foods leads to further mineral loss from the teeth, causing even more tooth decay.
Causes
Xerostomia in cancer patients is primarily caused by the effects of radiation therapy on the salivary glands, usually the result of radiation to the head and neck area. These changes may occur rapidly and cannot normally be reversed, especially if the salivary glands themselves are irradiated. Within one week of starting radiation treatment, the production of saliva drops and continues to decrease as treatment continues. The severity of xerostomia is dependent upon the radiation dose and how many salivary glands are irradiated. Typically, the salivary glands inside the upper back cheeks (the parotid glands) are more affected than others. Salivary glands that are not irradiated may become more active as a way of compensating for the loss of saliva from the destroyed glands.
A number of medications can cause xerostomia, including many drugs used in the management of cancer or cancer treatment side effects. Some of these are: atropine, amitriptyline, carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, gabapentin, haloperidol, loperamide, lorazepam, meperidine, and scopolamine, among several others.
Xerostomia may develop in patients with HIV infection, as the virus often damages the salivary glands.
Lastly, xerostomia often accompanies the normal aging process; between 25 and 50% of people over the age of 65 complain of increasing dryness of mouth.
Treatments
A number of clinical trials are investigating drugs called radioprotectors, which are given at the time of radiation therapy in an attempt to prevent xerostomia. If xerostomia has already developed, there are a number of measures that may help to both alleviate the symptoms of dry mouth and prevent cavities and gum disease. These measures include:
- cleaning the mouth well at least four times per day (after every meal and at bedtime)
- rinsing the mouth immediately after every meal
- using fluoride toothpaste to brush the teeth
- sipping water frequently
- rinsing the mouth with a salt and baking soda solution four to six times per day (1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 8 oz of water)
- avoiding foods and liquids containing large amounts of sugar
- avoiding mouthwashes containing alcohol
- using moisturizer on the lips
- using saliva substitutes to help relieve discomfort
- using a sialogogue such as pilocarpine (Salagen), which can stimulate saliva secretion from the remaining salivary glands
- applying a prescription-strength fluoride gel daily at bedtime to clean the teeth
Xerostomia usually cannot be reversed when the cause is the destruction of the salivary glands by radiation treatments. It may be reversible if related to a medication. All of the treatment measures serve to increase the level of comfort, decrease the chance for oral lesions, and reduce the occurrence of gum disease and cavities.
Resources
Books
Beers, Mark H., MD, and Robert Berkow, MD, editors. "Dentistry in Medicine." Section 9, Chapter 103 In The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 2002.
Periodicals
Bruce, S. D. "Radiation-Induced Xerostomia: How Dry Is Your Patient?" Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing 8 (February 2004): 61–67.
Nagler, R. M. "Salivary Glands and the Aging Process: Mechanistic Aspects, Health-Status and Medicinal-Efficacy Monitoring." Biogerontology 5 (March 2004): 223–233.
Pinto, A., and S. S. De Rossi. "Salivary Gland Disease in Pediatric HIV Patients: An Update." Journal of Dentistry for Children (Chicago) 71 (January-April 2004): 33–37.
Porter, S. R., C. Scully, and A. M. Hegarty. "An Update of the Etiology and Management of Xerostomia." Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontics 97 (January 2004): 28–46.
Other
Hodson, D.I., et al. "Symptomatic Treatment of Radiationinduced Xerostomia in Head and Neck Cancer Patients." Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guideline Initiative. April 2000. [cited July 18, 2001].
"Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation—Supportive Care." CancerNet PDQ. [cited July 18, 2001].
| Dental Dictionary: xerostomia |
(zir′ə-stō′mē-ə)
n
n
Dryness of the mouth resulting from functional or organic disturbances of the salivary glands and lack of the normal secretion, primarily caused by prescribed medications. Dryness, loss of basic environment, and resultant overgrowth of oral microorganisms frequently lead to rampant caries.
Xerostomia. (Neville/Damm/Allen/Bouquot, 2002)
| Veterinary Dictionary: xerostomia |
Dryness of the mouth from lack of the normal secretion.
| Wikipedia: Xerostomia |
"Cotton mouth" redirects here. For the Cottonmouth snake, see Agkistrodon piscivorus.
| Xerostomia | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| ICD-10 | K11.7, R68.2 |
| ICD-9 | 527.7 |
| DiseasesDB | 17880 |
| MeSH | D014987 |
Xerostomia (pronounced /ˌzɪəroʊˈstoʊmɪə/) is the medical term for the subjective complaint of dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. Xerostomia is sometimes colloquially called pasties, cottonmouth, doughmouth or des (like a desert). Xerostomia is also common in smokers.
Xerostomia can cause difficulty in speech and eating. It also leads to halitosis and a dramatic rise in the number of cavities, as the protective effect of saliva's remineralizing the enamel is no longer present, and can make the mucosa and periodontal tissue of the mouth more vulnerable to infection. Notably, a symptom of heavy methamphetamine use usually called "meth mouth" is largely caused by xerostomia which is worsened by the fact that methamphetamine at recreational doses can cause tight clenching of the jaw, bruxism (compulsive grinding of the teeth), or a repetitive 'chewing' movement like the user is chewing without food in the mouth.
Contents |
Causes
It may be a sign of an underlying disease, such as Sjögren's syndrome, poorly controlled diabetes, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, but this is not always the case.
Other causes of insufficient saliva include anxiety, medications, or the consumption of alcoholic beverages, physical trauma to the salivary glands or their ducts or nerves, dehydration caused by lack of sufficient fluids, excessive breathing through the mouth, previous radiation therapy, and also a natural result of aging, other conditions or factors not mentioned also can have the ability to cause dry mouth. The vast majority of elderly individuals will suffer xerostomia to some degree, although the most common cause is the use of medications. Output from the major salivary glands does not undergo clinically significant decrements in healthy older people and clinicians should not attribute complaints of a dry mouth and findings of salivary hypofunction in an older person to his or her age[1]. The results of one study suggested that, in general, objective and subjective measurements of major salivary gland flow rates are independent of age, gender, and race. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of dry mouth in the elderly regardless of race or gender should not be considered a normal sequela of aging[2]. Playing or exercising a long time outside on a hot day can cause the salivary glands to become dry as the bodily fluids are concentrated elsewhere. Xerostomia is a common side-effect of various drugs such as cannabis, amphetamines, antihistamines, and some antidepressants.
Treatment
Treatment involves finding any correctable causes and fixing those if possible. In many cases it is not possible to correct the xerostomia itself, and treatment focuses on relieving the symptoms and preventing cavities. Patients who have endured chemotherapy usually suffer from this post- treatment. Patients with xerostomia should avoid the use of decongestants and antihistamines, and pay careful attention to oral hygiene. Sipping sugarless fluids frequently, chewing xylitol-containing gum[3], and using a carboxymethyl cellulose saliva substitute as a mouthwash may help. Aquoral may be prescribed to treat xerostomia. Non-systemic relief can be found using an oxidized glycerol triesters treatment used to coat the mouth. Drinking water when there is another cause of the xerostomia besides dehydration may bring little to no relief and can even make the dry mouth more uncomfortable.
See also
References
External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | xerosis |
| antidiarrheals |
| Dry Mouth: Prognosis |
Help us answer these
 | What medications can cause xerostomia? |
| Dietary recommendation for a xerostomia patient? |
| Is xerostomia contagious? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Oncology Encyclopedia. Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer. Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
|
| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Xerostomia". Read more |
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- Is xerostomia contagious?
- What is Xerostomia and how is it caused?
- Do anticonvulsants cause xerostomia?
- Can diuretics cause xerostomia?
Mentioned in
