Dry Mouth

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Basics

• Summary
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• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Living With
• Related Issues

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

Diagnosis and Tests

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

Treatments and Therapies

• Dry Mouth Treatment: Tips for Controlling Dry Mouth (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

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

Clinical Trials

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

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

• Article: Menopausal symptoms are associated with oral sensory complaints in perimenopausal women:...
• Article: Comparison of the effect of ginger and aloe vera mouthwashes on...
• Article: Salivary and imaging-based biomarkers of radiation therapy-induced xerostomia.
• Dry Mouth -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• 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