Learn About Dry Mouth - Xerostomia Continued...

Non Oral Symptoms of dry mouth:

• dry throat
• dry nose
• changes in sense of smell
• heartburn
• dry or burning eyes
• constipation
• dry skin/scalp
• vaginal itching, dryness, history of fungal infections
• breathes through the mouth

Clinical Signs and Complications of dry mouth

Depending on the cause of dry mouth, the following signs and complications vary form mild to severe:

• mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the mouth)
• difficulty wearing dentures
• candidiasis (fungal infection) especially on the tongue and palate
• dental caries (decay): increase in prevalence, located at the sites generally not susceptible to decay
• thicker, more stringy, whole saliva
• difficulty with milking saliva from the ducts of the major salivary glands
• loss of moist, glistening of the oral mucosa
• dryness of oral mucous membranes
• oral mucosa appears thin and pale
• fissuring and lobulation, dorsum of the tongue
• angular cheilitis (cracking of the corners of the mouth)
• gingivitis
• cracked, bleeding gums

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