title: Xerostomia and the geriatric patient.
abstract: Saliva is essential for the preservation of oral-pharyngeal health, and disorders of salivary physiology are associated with numerous oral and pharyngeal problems, particularly in older people. Although salivary function is remarkably intact in healthy aging, medical problems, medications, and head and neck radiotherapy can cause salivary dysfunction and complaints of xerostomia among older people. Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune exocrinopathy, is the most common medical disease associated with salivary dysfunction. Medications with anticholinergic side effects will impair salivary output, and head and neck radiotherapy for cancer will cause permanent destruction of salivary glands. Treatments for salivary problems are based upon establishing a diagnosis, protecting oral and pharyngeal health, stimulating remaining glands, and replacing lost salivary fluids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, New York University College of Dentistry, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010, USA. jonathan.ship@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ship
authors.forename: Stanley R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pillemer
authors.forename: Bruce J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Baum
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000503:physiopathology; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy