Dry Mouth: Causes and mechanisms
What causes dry mouth?
The causes of dry mouth
- Taking medication is the number one cause1 of dry mouth as it is a side effect of many common medicines2,3
- Taking multiple medications may increase the risk of dry mouth by 40%4
- Other causes include conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome, diabetes and salivary gland damage5,6
Salivary gland hypofunction
Dry mouth is associated with changes in saliva composition and may have no immediately identifiable cause.3,5 Salivary gland hypofunction – the objective measurement of reduced salivary flow – can be associated with:3,5,7,8
- Medical treatments and polypharmacy
- Lifestyle choices
- Health conditions
- Damage to the salivary glands
Salivary gland physiology
Three main salivary glands produce 90% of saliva.5 These glands produce the two major types of secretion that form saliva:5
- Serous fluid (mainly from the parotid and submandibular glands)
- Mucous (mainly from the submandibular and sublingual glands)
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Salivary flow
Abnormal salivary flow can lead to dry mouth3,5
Total salivary output should be approximately 1 litre per day, with salivary flow rates fluctuating naturally over this time.8 Patients may only realise that they have dry mouth when their natural salivary flow has decreased by almost half.8
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Pharmacologic factors
Medication use is the number one cause of dry mouth1,2,11
Over 500 medications are associated with dry mouth,5,12 including many over-the-counter and commonly prescribed medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants, diuretics and cytotoxic drugs.1,2,11,13 Furthermore, the risk of dry mouth increases in people who take two or more medications.4,10
Offer your dry mouth patients a solution that suits their different needs, both day and night
Impact on patient quality of life
Find out about the impact that dry mouth has on patients’ daily lives
