Dry Mouth

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Dry mouth is the feeling that there is not enough saliva in your mouth. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while - if they are nervous, upset or under stress. But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to serious health problems.

Symptoms of dry mouth include

• A sticky, dry feeling in the mouth
• Trouble chewing, swallowing, tasting, or speaking
• A burning feeling in the mouth
• A dry feeling in the throat
• Cracked lips
• A dry, rough tongue
• Mouth sores
• An infection in the mouth

Dry mouth is not a normal part of aging. Causes include some medicines, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and nerve damage. Salivary gland diseases, Sjogren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes can also cause dry mouth. Treatment depends on the cause. Things you can do include sipping water, avoiding drinks with caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol, and chewing sugarless gum or sucking on sugarless hard candy.

NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Start Here

• Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
• Dry Mouth? Don't Delay Treatment (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Correct Diagnosis Provides Relief for Those with Dry Mouth (Academy of General Dentistry)

Treatments and Therapies

• Simple Solutions for Treating Dry Mouth (Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation) - PDF

Living With

• Mouth Dryness or Thick Saliva (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Dry Mouth or Xerostomia (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation (PDQ) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: Sjögren syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

Health Check Tools

• Dry Mouth (DSHI Systems)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Xerostomia (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Added Value of Parotid R2* Values for Evaluation of Sjögren...
• Article: Dosimetric Predictors of Patient-Reported Xerostomia and Dysphagia With Deintensified Chemoradiation...
• Article: Identification of a Sjögren's syndrome susceptibility locus at OAS1 that...
• Dry Mouth -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Dental Association
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
• Dry mouth during cancer treatment (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish