Dry mouth is an excessive or abnormal dryness of the mouth related to a decrease in the amount of saliva.

How do people describe dry mouth?

Some people describe dry mouth as a “cotton mouth”. Some say their tongue and cheeks stick together. Some have difficulty chewing and swallowing foods because their mouth is dry. Saliva may feel dry or thick and ropey. Speech may be altered. Taste changes may occur. The tongue may burn and cracks may occur.

What causes dry mouth?

Many medicines can cause dry mouth such as over-the-counter allergy, cough, cold, and flu medicines. Prescription medicines such as those that treat anxiety and depression, pain medications, and some anti-nausea medicines can also cause dry mouth. Dehydration can also cause dry mouth. Cancer therapy such as chemotherapy or radiation can also cause dry mouth.

How do people cope with dry mouth?

Here are some tips people use:

• Drink liquids between meals to moisten foods to ease swallowing.
• Brush your teeth with a soft-bristle toothbrush after every meal and at bedtime.
• Avoid dry, sticky foods such as peanut butter; and hot, spicy foods, such as salsa or citrus fruit juice.
• Add liquids to solid foods to make them more tolerable (gravies, melted butter, yogurt or mayonnaise).
• Avoid using mouthwashes that contain alcohol (lemon-glycerin may cause increased drying and irritation).
• Try sucking on ice chips, hard candy (non acidic).
• Avoid alcohol and tobacco products.
• Inspect your mouth daily for signs of infection (redness, swelling, white or red patches in the oral cavity).
• Try using an over-the-counter saliva substitute (Salivant, Moist Plus, Oral Balance).
• Chew sugarless gum.
• Use cool air, vaporizer, or household humidifiers.
• Have regular dental check ups.

• Family members and friends can encourage the patient to sip fluids throughout the day.
• Ask family members and friends to prepare foods that are soft and easy to swallow.
• Ask family members and friends to buy hard candy or sugarless gum.

• Tell them about how the dry mouth is affecting how one feels and ability to eat.
• Ask for suggestions on how to improve one’s dry mouth.

• Any new swelling, sores, white patches or redness in the mouth lasting more than 24 hours (bleeding).
• Spike of fever of > 100.4º F associated with mouth sores.
• Inability to eat any food for 48 hours.
• Inability to swallow or talk.
• If you have trouble breathing.
• Burning tongue.
• Difficulty swallowing

• Call the American Cancer Society at: 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit on the internet at: http://www.cancer.org.
• Call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER or visit on the internet at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/. Click on Coping with Cancer. Find and click on Oral Complications.
• Visit the Family Care Research Program on the internet at: http://www.cancercare.msu.edu.

• Milligan, S., McGill, M., Sweeney, M.P., & Malarkey, C. (2001). Oral care for people with advanced cancer: an evidence-based protocol. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 7(9), 418-26.
• Iwamoto, R. (1999). In C. Yarbro, M. Frogge, & M. Goodman (Eds.) Cancer Symptom Management, (pp. 264-272). Sudbury, Massachusetts; Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
• Maher, K. (2003). Xerostomia. In C.H. Yarbro, M.H. Frogge, & M. Goodman (Eds.), Cancer symptom management, 3rd Ed. (pp. 215-229). Boston: Jones and Bartlett.
• National Cancer Institute at: : http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/. Click on Coping with Cancer. Find and click on Oral Complications (Professional).