Drug effects on salivary glands: dry mouth.
OBJECTIVE
To identify drugs associated with the complaint of dry mouth.


METHODS
MEDLINE was searched for papers 1980-2002 using keywords, oral, mouth, salivary, drugs, dry mouth and xerostomia, and relevant secondary references were hand-searched.


RESULTS
Evidence was forthcoming for a number of xerogenic drugs, especially antimuscarinic agents, some sympathomimetic agents, and agents affecting serotonin and noradrenaline uptake, as well as a miscellany of other drugs such as appetite suppressants, protease inhibitors and cytokines.


CONCLUSIONS
Dry mouth has a variety of possible causes but drugs--especially those with anticholinergic activity against the M3 muscarinic receptor--are the most common cause of reduced salivation.
Scully
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International Centres for Excellence in Dentistry and Department of Oral Medicine, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, University of London, London, UK. c.scully@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000187:drug effects*; D012472:Salivation / Q000187:drug effects; D013566:Sympathomimetics / Q000009:adverse effects; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000139:chemically induced*
D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D013566:Sympathomimetics