ABSTRACT
DRY MOUTH (XEROSTOMIA) The most common mouth problem is a dry mouth (also known as xerostomia, pronounced zero-stow-meea). If the mouth is not being lubricated effectively by the patient’s saliva, the mucosa of the mouth can easily become sore or infected. Chewing and swallowing food will be diffi cult, resulting in loss of pleasure in eating as well as poor nutritional intake. In addition, talking with a dry mouth is diffi cult, making the simple pleasure of communication uncomfort able. By treating a dry mouth, many other problems can be prevented.
