What Causes Dry Mouth?
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Medically reviewed by Edmund Khoo, DDS
Dry mouth happens when the salivary glands don't produce enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. When your mouth is dry, you can have a harder time talking, swallowing, chewing food, and maintaining good oral health. Medically known as xerostomia, dry mouth can be experienced from time from time under certain circumstances—like when you haven't had enough water or are stressed. More frequent instances of dry mouth can be due to other reasons, such an underlying condition like an autoimmune disease or the use of certain medications.
Salivary Glands
Salivary glands produce saliva and empty it into the mouth through tunnels known as ducts. There are hundreds of salivary glands throughout the mouth, but the three biggest pairs are located below the ears, jaw, and tongue.
Dehydration
Dehydration can cause dry mouth. You can become dehydrated when you lose more fluid from your body than you take in. This might happen if you have diarrhea or a fever, are vomiting, are sweating or urinating too much, or are not drinking enough fluids. Without enough fluids, your body can't work properly and you might notice symptoms like dry mouth.
Besides not being able to produce saliva, symptoms of dehydration include dizziness, dry skin, and dark-colored urine.
The dry mouth and other symptoms should go away once you replace your fluids by drinking enough water.
Stress
Stress, as well as anxiety and depression, may lead to dry mouth. A 2017 study found that the conditions appear to reduce the amount of saliva people produce. The researchers determined this by measuring the amount of saliva people's salivary gland produced in a minute without any stimulation. The lowered saliva production led to feelings of dry mouth.
Medications
Taking certain types of medications is one of the most common causes of dry mouth. There are hundreds of different over-the-counter and prescription medications that can affect the salivary glands, leading to that uncomfortable feeling in your mouth.
Some of the most common medications that can cause dry mouth include:
Antihistamines, which are used to treat allergies
Antidepressants, a class of medication for treating mental health conditions like depression
Antihypertensives, which are high blood pressure medications
Anti-seizure drugs, used to treat seizure disorders
Benzodiazepines, which are sedatives sometimes used in anxiety treatment
Diuretics, also known as water pills, which help rid the body of excess fluid
Decongestants, which help relieve nasal stuffiness
Anticholinergics, which are bladder control medications
Antispasmodics, also known as muscle relaxers
Bronchodilators, which are asthma medications
If you take more than one of these types of medications, it's probably even likelier that you'll experience dry mouth.
Cancer Treatments
Some common cancer treatments can affect the salivary glands and result in dry mouth.
Chemotherapy drugs can make your saliva thicker in consistency, which in turn makes the mouth more dry.
The salivary glands can also be damaged during exposure to radiation treatment—particularly if the radiation is done around the head and neck—and impact the flow of saliva. If you wind up having a tumor in your salivary gland and your care team determines that the gland's removal is the best treatment option, the removal won't affect overall saliva production—any radiation to the area you might receive would, though.
Nerve or Salivary Gland Issues
Any kind of injury around your head that damages the nerves in that area has the potential to affect the nervous system's signals to the salivary glands, which might result in decreased saliva production.
You might also develop dry mouth if the flow of saliva is obstructed. Sometimes, you can develop small stones known as salivary stones in the salivary gland's ducts. The stones can make your salivary gland become narrowed or twisted. Since the ducts are blocked, saliva can't flow out to your mouth as easily and so you might notice a decrease in saliva.
Chronic Illness
Certain types of long-lasting conditions can cause dry mouth, usually because the illness causes inflammation in the body or impacts the salivary glands. Examples of conditions that can cause dry mouth include:
Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks the salivary glands and other parts of the body
Thyroid diseases, which can have a side effect of decreased saliva production
Diabetes, which can lead to diminished saliva production when blood sugar levels are too high
Parkinson's disease, a nervous system disorder that can impact the salivary glands
Editor's Note: Sometimes your salivary glands can be working properly but you still feel like you have a dry mouth. This can be the case for people with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or stroke.
Is Dry Mouth Hereditary?
Dry mouth itself is not passed down. However, depending on what's causing the dry mouth, people within a family might be more likely to experience the symptom.
For instance, it's believed that genetic factors play a role in the development of Sjögren's syndrome. Researchers have studied how salivary damage from inflammation in people with this syndrome may be linked to certain genes. Environmental factors are believed to be involved, too, though.
Who Gets Dry Mouth?
Some people may be more likely to develop dry mouth than others. For example, dry mouth appears to be more common in women than in men.
People who are older are also more likely to experience dry mouth. Research estimates that about one in four older adults experiences dry mouth. This might be a result of producing less saliva with age, but it's also likely a result of taking one or more of the medications that cause dry mouth. Older adults are also more likely to become dehydrated, which can lead to dry mouth.
Risk Factors
There are a few factors that can increase your chances of experiencing dry mouth—especially if you take a medication or have a condition that causes dry mouth.
Diet
What you eat and drink can impact whether you'll experience dry mouth.
Drinking caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea can make you more susceptible to dry mouth. Eating spicy or salty foods can also make it more likely that you get dry mouth.
To lower your risk of dry mouth, you can instead try drinking sugarless, caffeine-free drinks or chewing on sugar-free gum and candy.
Substance Use
Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and smoking marijuana make it more likely that you'll develop dry mouth. Keep in mind that this can include using products like mouthwashes or toothpastes that contain alcohol.
Lifestyle Habits
Frequently breathing through your mouth while you sleep can lead to more than just snoring. Whether due to allergies, a cold, or another reason, if you sleep with your mouth open it's likely that you'll wake up with a dry mouth. Breathing with your mouth open during the day can have the same drying effect.
A Quick Review
Dry mouth happens when the salivary glands aren't able to produce enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. A random occurrence of dry mouth might be due to dehydration or stress. If dry mouth seems to happen more often, it may be due to a medication you are taking, such as one for blood pressure or allergies. Sjögren's syndrome and other chronic illnesses, nerve or gland damage, and cancer treatment may also affect saliva production and make your mouth feel dry. Some lifestyle factors—like diet, mouth breathing, and smoking—can also contribute to the issue. Knowing what is causing your dry mouth can help you better manage and prevent the symptom.
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