8 causes of dry mouth and how to treat them

Dry mouth is a fairly common symptom that affects many people, including children. This phenomenon is mainly the result of a decrease in the amount of saliva in the oral cavity, which in turn causes a lot of discomfort. 

Dry mouth not only makes children's breath smell bad, but also leads to many other serious problems such as cavities, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, or loss of taste or taste. This condition even makes it difficult to eat and drink, so if it is prolonged, it can increase the risk of malnutrition in children.

However, dry mouth is not too difficult to treat if the cause is known. You can completely protect your baby from the harmful effects of this symptom with only simple suggestions that aFamilyToday Health shares through the following article.

8 causes of dry mouth

According to experts, normally, children will secrete 1ml of saliva in 1 minute, this figure is much higher than the rate of 0.7ml / min in adults. As a result, it is very rare for children to experience dry mouth. However, the following reasons can cause a baby to fall into this condition:

1. Dehydration

Dehydration is one of the most common reasons why a child has dry mouth. Excessive dehydration often occurs when a child engages in strenuous activities or suffers from a number of medical conditions such as diarrhea, food intolerance, Crohn's disease and other eating disorders . When you are dehydrated, your body stops supplying fluids to organs like the salivary glands in order to store water for more important functions.

2. Breathe through your mouth

The habit of breathing through the mouth of children is also one of the causes of dry mouth that many parents need to pay attention to. Accordingly, this will lead to very dry mouth and lips, resulting in not enough saliva excreted to "wash away" bacteria in the oral cavity. Just like that, the harmful bacteria gradually multiply and develop and lead to periodontal diseases (cavities, gingivitis ...).

In addition, prolonged mouth breathing has been linked to physical and cognitive abnormalities in children.

3. Drug side effects

In fact, some medicines such as antihistamines used in allergy treatment, antidepressants , pain relievers, anti-diarrhea drugs, bronchodilators ... have potential side effects that cause dry mouth, but few people pay attention. Therefore, if parents realize that their child has dry mouth, can parents consider whether this manifestation is an adverse reaction of one of the medicines their children are taking?

4. Diabetes

This disease can be found at any age including children. Accordingly, children with type 1 diabetes are usually inherited from their parents; while type 2 diabetes is more common in children who are overweight, obese or have an unhealthy diet.

When infected, the process of saliva secretion will decrease, leading to symptoms of dry mouth. This phenomenon inadvertently also makes the patient more susceptible to oral diseases such as ulcers, tooth decay, gingivitis ...

5. Child undergoes surgery or trauma

Children, especially small ones, are often quite active. Therefore, sometimes parents just neglect to let go for a second, babies are more prone to accidents leading to trauma, sometimes requiring surgery. Accordingly, the surgery due to trauma to the head and neck can affect or damage the salivary glands causing dry mouth symptoms.

6. Poor nutrition diet

In a few cases, children with dry mouth have been linked to nutritional deficiencies, particularly vitamin A and riboflavin (vitamin B2). This has an effect on the production and excretion of saliva in the oral cavity.

7. Sjogren's syndrome (SS)

Basically, SS is an autoimmune disease of the exocrine glands (sweat, saliva, etc.). When infected, the body recognizes the salivary glands as foreign agents, thereby stimulating immune cells to attack this organ. When damaged, the salivary glands will impair function, clinical manifestations in infected children are dry mouth, toothache, fatigue, poor appetite.

The cause is still unknown, as well as measures to eradicate this disease. Therefore, the best prevention is to create a habit of oral hygiene for children, especially after eating.

8. Chemotherapy

This health problem is also very common in the unfortunate case of a child with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. Chemical medications can often change the composition and flow of saliva, resulting in a dry mouth. You can rest assured that this change is only temporary.

Symptoms are often seen when a child has dry mouth

Dry mouth, although not very dangerous, but in the long run will interfere with living and facilitate the development of oral diseases. For adults, recognizing and detecting symptoms is often quite easy; While the youngest children are not yet speaking, parents should immediately pocket the following signs:

Halitosis

Chapped lips

There is a painful sensation or a sore on the tongue

Children have difficulty talking, chewing and swallowing

Fungal infections, itching around the mouth

Taste disturbances

Children are prone to tooth decay, gingivitis

Thirst, demanding to drink water regularly

Once you observe these symptoms, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. In the case of a diagnosis of dry mouth, the doctor will provide a solution based on the underlying cause and the child's health.

Revealing a very effective cure for dry mouth for children at home

There are many different remedies that can help you improve dry mouth and minimize dental problems for your child, such as:

1. Drink plenty of water

This is considered a simple but extremely effective solution to help reverse the dangers that dry mouth can cause. The amount of water intake should be based on the child's age and weight. Children under 12 months, the water demand will be 100ml per kilogram (kg) weight / day. From one year of age and older, the more weight a child weighs than before, 50 ml of water per pound is required. Children from 10 years old, the amount of water to drink will be equal to adults.

In addition to filtered water, mothers should also let children use more juice, liquid foods such as porridge, soup that is easy to eat, and additional nutrients for children.

2. Chew gum

It may sound strange, but this is a great cure for dry mouth! Mom just let the baby chew gum to both stimulate saliva secretion, and "clean" the oral cavity very well. However, you should not choose sugar-sweetened candies that will backfire!

3. Train your child's oral hygiene habits

After each meal, mothers should create a habit for children to brush their teeth to remove food plaque and harmful bacteria. If your child is older, you can instruct your child to floss.

In case the above measures do not work, you should take your child to the hospital or dentist to have it checked immediately!