Dry Mouth Causes

Recognizing the Underlying Causes of Dry Mouth in your Patients

Although medication is the most common cause of dry mouth¹, other causes can lead to reduced saliva flow.

The Causes of Dry Mouth

Medication and Disease: The 2 main culprits of Dry Mouth²

Medication is the number one cause^1,3,4 of Dry Mouth as it is a side effect of many common medicines⁵ including antihistamines, antidepressants, diuretics, and sedatives.⁵
Taking multiple medications may increase the risk of Dry Mouth by at least 40%^6,7
The medical conditions and comorbidities leading to xerostomia are diverse. They include Parkinson’s disease, anxiety and depression, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, head and neck radiation and chemotherapy cancer treatments^1,8

Patients with chronic diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome and diabetes may not realize they have problems because the change in salivary production occurs gradually over time, resulting in slow-to-emerge symptoms.⁵

Failing to address may increase risk/likelihood of bad breath, mouth infections and cavities. Many of these oral health problems can be addressed by effectively managing Dry Mouth symptoms.¹

Salivary Gland Hypofunction

Dry Mouth is associated with changes in saliva composition and may have no immediately identifiable cause.^1,10 Salivary gland hypofunction – the objective measurement of reduced salivary flow – can be associated with:^1,5,11

Medical treatments and polypharmacy
Lifestyle choices
Health conditions
Damage to the salivary glands

Salivary Gland Physiology

Three main salivary glands; paratoid, submandibular and sublingual produce 90% of saliva.¹ These glands produce the two major types of secretion that form saliva:¹

Serous fluid (mainly from the parotid and submandibular glands)
Mucous (mainly from the submandibular and sublingual glands)

The Different Causes of Dry Mouth

Salivary Flow

Abnormal Salivary Flow Can Lead to Dry Mouth^1,10

Total salivary output should be approximately 1 litre per day, with salivary flow rates fluctuating naturally over this time.⁵ Patients may only realize that they have Dry Mouth when their natural salivary flow has decreased by almost half.⁵
Pharmacological Factors

Medication Use is the Number One Cause of Dry Mouth^1,3,4

Over 500 commonly used medications can have side effects that cause Dry Mouth,²including many over-the-counter and commonly prescribed medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants, diuretics and cytotoxic drugs.^5,8,13 Furthermore, the risk of Dry Mouth increases in correlation with the number and types of medications.^6,8

Other Factors

Other Causes of Dry Mouth

In addition to medication use, there are various other physiological, behavioural, psychological and medical causes of Dry Mouth.

Lifestyle Factors	Mouth breathing^1,4 Nasal obstruction¹ Smoking⁴ Alcohol/drug abuse⁴ Caffeine⁴
Medical Treatments	Damage from radiation therapy for head and neck cancers^2,5 Chemotherapy^14,15 Physical trauma to the salivary glands² Surgical removal of salivary glands¹
Community Acquired Infections	HIV-1 infection¹ Hepatitis C¹
Psychiatric Disorders	Anxiety² Depression²
Genetic Disorders	Cystic fibrosis¹⁶
Autoimmune Diseases	Sjögren's syndrome⁸ Rheumatoid arthritis⁸

Offer Your Dry Mouth Patients a Solution That Suits Their Different Needs, Around the Clock*

*with a daily Dry Mouth routine

Impact on Patient Quality of Life

Understand the impact that Dry Mouth has on patients’ daily lives.

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Dry Mouth Diagnosis

Explore an overview of diagnosing Dry Mouth.

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Dry Mouth Management

Explore an overview of Dry Mouth management.

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Dry Mouth

Find out about Dry Mouth.

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The biotène Range

Find out how the biotène range can help your patients.

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Patient Resources

Download resources for your patients.

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References

Cassolato SF, Turnbull RS. Gerodotol 2003; 20(2): 64–77.
Plemons JM et al. J Am Dent Assoc 2014; 145:867–873.
Turner MD, Ship JA. J Am Dent Assoc 2007; 138: S15–S20.
Kleinegger CL. J Calif Dent Assoc 2007; 35:417–424.
Guggenheimer J, Moore PA. J Am Dent Assoc 2003; 134:61–69.
Sreebny LM et al. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 1989; 68:419–427.
Nederfors T, et al. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1997; 25(3): 211–216.
Pedersen AML. Diseases causing oral dryness. In: Carpenter G ed. Dry Mouth. A clinical guide on causes, effects and treatments. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. 2015.
Pinna R et al. Xerostomia induced by radiotherapy: an overview of the physiopathology, clinical evidence and management of the oral damage. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2015; 11: 171-188
Sreebny LM, Vissink A (eds). 2010. Dry mouth: the malevolent symptom: a clinical guide. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Whelton HP. In: Edgar WM, O’Mullane DM (eds). 1996. Saliva and oral health. 2nd edition. London: British Dental Association, pp. 1–36.
Sreebny LM, Schwartz SS. Gerodontol 1997;14(1):33–47.
Llena-Puy C. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2006; 11: E449-55
Visvanathan V, Nix P. Int J Clin Pract 2010; 64:404–407.
Wind DA. Jnl Prac Hygiene 1996; 1:23–27.
Scully C. Oral Dis 2003; 9:165–176.

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PM-US-BIO-21-00023

Dry Mouth Causes

Recognizing the Underlying Causes of Dry Mouth in your Patients

The Causes of Dry Mouth

Salivary Gland Hypofunction

Salivary Gland Physiology

The Different Causes of Dry Mouth

Abnormal Salivary Flow Can Lead to Dry Mouth1,10

Medication Use is the Number One Cause of Dry Mouth1,3,4

Other Causes of Dry Mouth

Offer Your Dry Mouth Patients a Solution That Suits Their Different Needs, Around the Clock*

Impact on Patient Quality of Life

Dry Mouth Diagnosis

Dry Mouth Management

Dry Mouth

The biotène Range

Patient Resources

References

Abnormal Salivary Flow Can Lead to Dry Mouth^1,10

Medication Use is the Number One Cause of Dry Mouth^1,3,4