BRIEF OVERVIEW OF XEROSTOMIA PROBLEM

Abstract

The saliva is indispensable for preservation of healthy mouth and teeth, due to its composition and physical and chemical properties. Saliva preserves the teeth and favors their remineralization for account of afflux of irreplaceable minerals: calcium and phosphor. Due to contents of such epidermal growth factor it participates in tissue repair. The saliva contains the antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal drug resistance factors, suppressing the bacterial colonization of teeth and mucosa.Dry mouth (xerostomia) results in development of stomatitis, periodontitis effects, increases a risk of infectious lesions of oral mucosa. The severest forms of such pathology (Degrees II–III) are observed in the patients administered of X-ray therapy on head and neck area and in case of Sjogren’s syndrome, when the irreversible degenerative changes develop in эпителии salivary glands epithelium. Etiology and pathogenesis of xerostomia are not exhaustively studied yet, and treatment of such complex pathology is still symptomatic.

Keywords

• xerostomia
• dry mouth
• hyposalivation
• saliva
• primary and secondary gougerot–sjoegren syndrome
• x-ray therapy
• head and neck area