1 Etiology of the disease and clinical picture of the disease

Dry mouth, or xerostomia, is the drying of the oral mucosa, resulting from the cessation of the secretion of the salivary glands. If this condition is observed constantly, it will be difficult for a person to talk, swallow, chew and taste, which in general limits normal life activity.

Typical signs of dryness of the tongue and the whole oral cavity include the following:

1. Sensation of "stickiness" and dryness in the oral cavity.
2. Sensation of strong thirst.
3. Presence of irritated areas in the oral cavity.
4. Burning and itching in tongue.
5. In addition, that the tongue is dry, it can still blush and become rough.
6. Difficulty speaking, chewing, swallowing and feeling flavors.
7. Painful sensations in the throat, hoarseness of the voice and drying of the nasal mucosa. Bad odor from the mouth.

As noted, there may be a lot of reasons for drying out the mouth and tongue, but you need to familiarize yourself with the most common:

1. If dryness disturbs at night, during sleep and after waking, it is probably the cause of snoring.
2. Often taking medications provokes a decrease in salivary secretion. It is recommended to study in advance the side effects of taking this or that medicine.
3. Dehydration of the body, which is often observed in the hot season or after grueling workouts.
4. Dry tongue can be observed with general intoxication of the body, at elevated temperature, as well as in the presence of infection.
5. Diabetes often quite often causes the mouth to dry out.
6. Dry tongue and oral cavity in general may be symptoms of diseases such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
7. In pancreatitis, in addition to dryness, symptoms such as loose stools, nausea, flatulence and pain on the left side of the abdomen can additionally occur.
8. The dryness and white coating of the tongue, heartburn and bitterness in the mouth testify to the disruption of the functioning of the digestive system.
9. When irradiated and chemotherapy is often observed drying out the oral mucosa.
10. Dry tongue can be a consequence of smoking, drinking alcohol.
11. Sharp and fried foods cause the tongue to dry out.
12. Stress can also be a cause of dryness in the mouth, but usually symptoms are eliminated when it passes.
13. In women, dry tongue often occurs with menopause and during pregnancy.

2 Treatment measures

When the dryness of the tongue and the whole oral cavity accompanies more than one day, this at least causes discomfort. Therefore, it is recommended to get rid of unpleasant sensations as quickly as possible, which can be done with the following simple methods:

1. Prepare a mint broth that not only refreshes and helps normalize salivation, but also eliminates an unpleasant odor.
2. Salivary secretion can be stimulated by taking bitter pepper. It is not necessary to use it in its pure form, you can add it to a suitable dish.
3. It is very important to observe the hygiene of the oral cavity, and not only to clean the teeth twice a day, but also to use quality toothbrushes and pasta for this. It is useful to additionally perform mouth rinsing with special solutions.
4. It is advisable to refuse sweet, fatty, fried and salty foods, as well as from fast food.
5. If the dryness is accompanied by a bitter taste, you can chew the chewing gum for a short time or suck the candy.

If the dryness of the tongue and mouth does not pass, then this is a serious reason to consult a doctor, since under this symptom any disease can be hidden.

If the dryness has started to alarm from the moment of taking prescribed medications, it is recommended to correct the treatment together with a specialist.

In addition to the above, you should monitor the body's water balance, that is, drink more liquid, regularly air and moisten the room with special devices.

For normal functioning of the mucous epithelium and digestion of food, the body needs to produce about 1-1.5 liters of saliva in 24 hours. The causes of violations of these rules can be a lot, ranging from the banal "no time to drink," ending with serious autoimmune diseases. Therefore, in order that simple discomfort does not succeed in growing into something serious, it is necessary to give timely, even insignificant, problems to the problem. And if it is difficult to recognize the symptoms or eliminate the disease, it is recommended not to engage in self-medication, but to provide it to specialists.