Dry mouth Flashcards
what is the sensation of dry mouth?
xerostomia
what are causes of dry mouth?
- Medication
- Dehydration
- Mouth breathing
- Anxiety
- Diabetes
- Radiotherapy
- Systemic disease e.g., Sjogren’s syndrome
- Diurnal variation
what are symptoms of dry mouth?
- Difficulty eating, swallowing, speaking, wearing dentures.
- Mucosal surfaces stick to each other and/or to teeth.
- Bad taste/ altered taste.
- Halitosis
- Sore mouth
- Deteriorating dentition
- Salivary gland swelling persistent/ recurrent.
what is used to assess dry mouth?
Challacombe scale
what are clinical signs of dry mouth?
- Mirror sticks to buccal mucosa, tongue
- Frothy saliva
- No salvia pooling FOM
- Generalised shortened tongue papillae.
- Altered gingival architecture (smooth)
- Glossy appearance of oral mucosa especially palate.
- Lobulated/ fissures tongue
- Cervical caries (more than 2 teeth).
- Debris on palate or sticking to teeth.
what is evidence of candidiasis?
- Angular cheilitis
- Erythematous mucosa
- Thrush
- Denture stomatitis
what is score 1-3 on the challacombe scale?
mild dryness – routine check-up monitoring.
what is score 4-6 on the challacombe scale?
moderate dryness – further investigations if cause not clear.
what is score 7-10 on the challacombe scale?
severe dryness – cuase must be determined and exclude Sjogren’s – REFER
how do you test for dry mouth?
Tilt head forward and let saliva accumulate and dribble out into container.
- 15 minutes ideally, but normally 5 mins on clinic.
what is classed as a normal saliva flow rate?
0.3 to 0.4ml/min
what is classed as a reduced saliva rate?
less than 0.1ml/min
how is score 1-3 managed?
may not need treatment, sugar free chewing gum, attention to hydration.
how is score 4-6 managed?
sugar free gum or sialagogues. Consider saliva substitutes and topical fluoride.
how is score 7-10 managed?
saliva substitutes and topical fluoride
