Abstract
Xerostomia, commonly referred to as dry mouth syndrome, is a result of reduced or absent salivary flow producing mucosal dryness. It can subsequently cause oral discomforts and alterations in taste, cracked and peeling lips, dry nasal passages, and a painful tongue.
Highlights
Saliva can reflect the current condition of ones body and is a very important health indicator [1]
Due to normal salivary function being modulated by parasympathetic cholinergic neurotransmission through the muscarinic M3 receptor [2,6], anticholinergic activity against the M3 muscarinic receptor is often observed to result in reduced salivary flow [6,7]
Frequent use of vitamin C tablets is not recommended, as citric acid and sweeteners are often added to reduce the bitter taste of vitamin C, which have erosive effects on dental enamel [11]
Summary
Saliva can reflect the current condition of ones body and is a very important health indicator [1]. Due to normal salivary function being modulated by parasympathetic cholinergic neurotransmission through the muscarinic M3 receptor [2,6], anticholinergic activity against the M3 muscarinic receptor is often observed to result in reduced salivary flow [6,7] For this reason, several classes of over 500 commonly used drugs [8] can cause xerostomia, likely through the M3 receptor [2,6], including antihistamines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, diuretics and sedatives [2,6,8,9,12].A list of the various common medications that have xerostomia reported as a side effect are listed in table 1. Other areas of research include slow-release delivery systems for pilocarpine, the development of saliva substitutes with longer mucosal surface retention, vaccination with auto-reactive T cells or T cell receptor peptides, as well as the possibility of inserting aquaporins into the cell membrane of ductal cells [2] appear to be future approaches for the management of xerostomia
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