Can you imagine your mouth being this dry – forever? Chris Curtis, founder of The Swallows Head and Neck Cancer Charity, graphically drew our attention to this problem with patients following treatment for cancer at the BDA Conference this year. This article aims to show how to give practical help to these patients.
What is xerostomia?
Xerostomia is a more common problem than patients and health care professionals realise. Many patients do not believe they have a dry mouth so, as dental professionals, we should be looking at the whole oral environment, including saliva flow, not just teeth and gums.
The mouth is the window to the body. We should be checking with the patient the amount of fluid they are drinking throughout the day and advising them to drink six to eight glasses of water per day.1
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