Existing health conditions that may cause dry mouth include dehydration, poorly controlled diabetes, nerve damage from head or neck injury, and HIV/AIDS.
Sjogren Syndrome
It is a systemic condition that affects any body organ or system. The most common symptoms of Sjogren syndrome are dry mouth and dry eyes. It also causes chronic inflammation that damages the salivary gland.
Complications of Xerostomia
The function of saliva is to keep the moisture in the mouth and throat that protect the lining membrane from microbial infection and mechanical injury. However, the lack of saliva production may lead to severe complications, such as dental diseases, bleeding, and fungal infections. It can also affect the health of the patient through less food consumption and dehydration. Moreover, the chronic discomfort from the symptoms may contribute to stress, depression, or anxiety.
How is Xerostomia Diagnosed?
The most vital evaluation to detect dry mouth is checking one’s medical history and physical examination. However, various tests will be conducted if needed, such as the following:
- Sialometry. This test is for measuring salivary flow. The normal daily production of saliva is between 0.5 L to 2.0 L and 1.5 to 2.0 mL per minute. If the salivary flow is less than 0.5 to 0.7 mL per minute, the patient will be diagnosed with xerostomia.
- Sialography. It is a test used for patients who have hd radiation exposure. It is an imaging technique that identifies salivary stones and masses. The imaging trial is performed six weeks before the radiation exposure and six weeks after the radiation treatment. The result shows a decrease in salivary flow.
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