Saliva disorders
The salivary glands are the glands that produce saliva and are divided into major and minor glands. The major ones include the parotid glands (on the cheeks), the submandibular glands (under the lower jaw) and the submandibular glands (under the tongue). The minor glands are hundreds (700-1000) of small glands scattered over almost all the mucosa of the mouth, tongue and throat.
About 0.5 - 1.5 litres of saliva is produced daily under normal conditions, of which 70% is produced by the submandibular glands, 25% by the parotid glands and the remaining 5% by the submandibular and minor salivary glands. Saliva consists of 99.5% water, while 0.5% contains trace elements, proteins, vitamin C, enzymes, enzymes, antibodies, hormones and minerals.
Saliva serves to:
- creation of the bloom (food bite)
- digestion (contains amylase)
- tooth protection (rinses, protects against plaque - caries)
- reduction of friction during chewing
- maintaining an acidic pH in the mouth
- protection of the organism (antimicrobial action)
The amount of saliva produced varies from person to person and depends on many factors, such as age, gender, mental state, habits (smoking, alcohol, diet), stimuli (smell, taste, sight of food), medication and heredity.
A disturbance in saliva production is defined as any significant and long-lasting change in the amount of saliva produced. If there is an increase then salivation occurs, while if there is a decrease then dry mouth occurs.
Causes of Sialorrhea
- Teeth anatomy in children
- Tobacco abuse
- Medicines (pilocarpine, histamine, nicotinic acid)
- Mouth diseases
- Nervous system diseases (Parkinson's disease, epilepsy)
- Swallowing muscle paralysis
Psychogenic causes
Causes of dry mouth
- Intense exercise
- Dehydration
- Diseases of the salivary glands
- Medicines (atropine, sedatives, antihistamines)
- Diabetes mellitus
- Radiation Therapy:
- Psychogenic causes