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Xerostomia

April 6, 2009

Taste BudsYou must have often heard people talking of dry mouth or oral dryness which in turn lead to discomfort and also bad breath. This condition is medically termed as Xerostomia. As mentioned, Xerostomia is a problem which is characterized by decreasing saliva and accompanying dryness of the mouth. This problem is usually an indicator of some other ailment or in other words, dry mouth is a symptom of some other underlying problem in the body. Let’s look at this problem, its causes and symptoms in detail.

If you find less saliva in your mouth, your mouth stinks, and you feel discomfort due to dryness, then it implies you are suffering from the problem of Xerostomia. The person affected faces problem in eating, chewing and swallowing due to lack of sufficient saliva. You can thus not enjoy your favorite food also as a sense of taste gets lost with this problem.

A common and in fact a logical reason for Xerostomia is dehydration. If your body lacks fluids or if your intake of water is limited, then you can suffer from the problem of dry mouth. Additionally, dehydration too can be caused by a number of factors like diarrhea, vomiting, or simply fever.

In addition to dehydration, Xerostomia can be a symptom of some other problems like diabetes, anemia, high blood pressure and even HIV infections. If you are undergoing radiation therapy for the treatment of some cancer, then too you can suffer from the problem of dry mouth.

While Xerostomia is a symptom of some underlying problem, it can also lead to some problems like tooth decay and also yeast infections. Additionally, cracked mouth and cracked lips are common problems that come with mouth dryness or Xerostomia. Thus, it is necessary to understand the cause of this problem so as to get timely treatment for prevention of further problems.


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