Dry Mouth

Dry mouth or xerostomia, a condition that affects approximately 20% of the population, arises when the salivary glands malfunction and fail to produce sufficient saliva. Saliva is a key facilitator of most oral functions, most notably speech, chewing and swallowing and as such dry mouth can have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life.

Denture retention is thought to be a problem for about 35% of denture wearers and as such there are estimated to be about 4 million individuals in the UK who regularly use an adhesive to keep their dentures in place. Though many users refer to these products as denture glues they do not actually have any adherence properties and simple work by thickening saliva to create a suction effect. These creams and gels generally work quite well on upper dentures that have the entire roof of the mouth to ‘suck to’, however they are far less effective when it comes to lower denture retention both due to the considerably reduced surface area and the mechanical effect of the tongue dislodging the denture.

As mentioned conventional ‘adhesives’ require saliva to be present and are therefore wholly ineffectual for denture wearers who suffer from a dry mouth condition. These individuals need a product that actually adheres to both gum and denture without the need to saliva. Secure

Overview

• Dry mouth clinically known as Xerostomia is caused by a decrease in saliva production and is a common condition which can severely affect the sufferer’s quality of life.
• As life expectancy increases the incidences of dry mouth are expected to be more prevalent. It has been estimated that as much as 20% of the adult population may be suffering the effects of dry mouth, 50% - 60% being over the age of 60.  The condition seems to be predominant in women.