Basically, dry mouth is a painful condition that results when the salivary glands do not function properly. While saliva is an important agent that helps in the swallowing of food, it is also a natural defense against tooth decay. Saliva plays a major role in rinsing away food particles and in neutralizing harmful acids that might attack the teeth. It helps prevent gum disease and infections of the mouth tissues. A person may have difficulty in speaking, and their sense of taste can be hindered when a lack of saliva exists.

A dry mouth condition can develop from a number of sources. Radiation administered to the head and neck region is one known cause. However, with increased uses of medications such as antidepressants, diuret­ics, antihistamines and even decongestants in society today, increasing numbers of dry mouth cases are being reported.

The results of two separate studies indicate that Acupuncture can offer help to people who suffer from this condition. Prior to trying Acupuncture, most sufferers relied on more short-term substitutes and gland stimu­lants like sucking on lozenges or chewing gum, for example.

One study reported in General Dentistry, the journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, indicated posi­tively that Acupuncture provided help for 7 radiation therapy patients with dry mouth. Each of the patients was seen once a week for 4 or 5 weeks and biweekly for several more sessions. Follow-ups done on these pa­tients up to 8 months later found reduction in dry mouth symptoms, increased saliva flow and having an im­proved ability to eat and speak.

In a separate study, this one conducted on cancer patients in Sweden and reported in the journal Oral Dis­eases, 70 cancer patients with dry mouth conditions were treated with Acupuncture. Their treatment involved 24 individual Acupuncture sessions given twice a week over a four-month period. The results of this study were very encouraging as well with researchers pointing to “significantly higher saliva flow rates” for each of their groupings of patients following Acupuncture.

Hopefully, this is not a condition that will develop for you or a member of your family or circle of friends. However, with radiation being increasingly used for cancer treatments and greater amounts of antidepressant drugs being administered in society, the possibility does exist that someone you come into contact with will complain of this condition. Wouldn’t it be nice if a suggestion to that person to try Acupuncture helped to bring relief?

Source: Acupuncture.com. “New Report Indicates Acupuncture Provides Relief for Suffers of Dry Mouth.” June 2005. http://acupuncture.com/news/drymouth.htm and Acupuncture Today. “Acupuncture for Dry Mouth.” http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=27653