Why Do Diabetes and Dry Mouth Often Go Together?

Dry mouth is a common symptom of people who have diabetes — in fact, sometimes it’s the symptom that tips off a person that they have diabetes. But why and how are the two connected? Read on to find out. 

Dry Mouth: Causes and Treatments

Dry mouth, clinically termed xerostomia, is more than just feeling thirsty. Symptoms include sore throat, dry, cracked lips, bad breath, difficulty chewing, eating, and even speaking, and severe oral health problems. While dehydration can cause dry mouth, when the condition persists continually, the reasons are usually deeper. 

The most common causes of dry mouth include :

• Head and neck cancer treatment: Chemotherapy and radiation therapy that target the head and neck can damage the salivary glands, causing them to produce less saliva than normal.
• Systemic diseases: Sjögren’s syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease, is one of the main systemic diseases that causes dry mouth (and dry eyes). Others include lupus erythematosus, diabetes, viral infection, end-stage renal disease, sarcoidosis, and more. 
• Medications: Many different drugs list dry mouth as one of their side effects.
• Polypharmacy: Taking two or more drugs together increases the risk of dry mouth. 
• Aging: It’s unclear whether aging itself causes dry mouth or whether dry mouth appears in older people because they tend to take more medication than younger people. Either way, elderly people suffer from dry mouth more than younger people.

The treatment of dry mouth usually depends on the cause. If the salivary glands are damaged beyond repair due to cancer treatment or disease, doctors are likely to recommend saliva substitutes, such as Mouth Kote, Aquoral, Biotene products, and more. 

If the salivary glands have the potential to produce more saliva but are not operating at optimal capacity, doctors may recommend ways to stimulate the salivary glands into production. This includes electrostimulation, which patients can administer themselves with the SaliPen, and sialogogues, medications that increase the flow rate of saliva. Patients who are taking different medications should talk to their doctors about finding the optimal combination to reduce dry mouth and its symptoms.

The Connection Between Dry Mouth and Diabetes

There are two types of diabetes: 1 and 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that typically develops suddenly, at a young age. Type 2 diabetes develops over time and typically makes an appearance after age 45. Causes include genetics, the consumption of too much sugar, and a sedentary lifestyle. 

Dry mouth is a symptom, or result, of both types of diabetes. In fact, it’s one of the first noticeable symptoms of diabetes. Its association with the disease is the result of an imbalance of fluids in the body, which can happen due to several reasons:

• Dehydration: People with diabetes are prone to dehydration, which can lead to persistent dry mouth.
• Increased blood sugar levels: People who have diabetes may experience hyperglycemia, a condition when the blood sugar gets too high. This sets off a chain reaction: Hyperglycemia leads to increased thirst, the result of which is frequent urination. Frequent urination can lead to dehydration, which results in a reduction in the amount of saliva produced. High blood sugar can also cause direct damage to salivary glands, diminishing their ability to produce sufficient saliva. 
• Kidney conditions: One of the complications of high blood sugar is kidney disease, which may further upset the fluid balance in the body and lead to dry mouth. 
• Diabetes medications: Some diabetes medications, such as certain types of oral hypoglycemics or insulin therapies, can change the natural fluid balance or impact the function of the salivary glands, leading to dry mouth. 
• High blood pressure: Approximately 2/3 of people with diabetes also have high blood pressure. Medications to treat high blood pressure may result in dry mouth. 

The common denominator among these conditions is damage to the salivary glands. When the salivary glands can’t function properly, an imbalance of fluid in the body ensues, resulting in dry mouth and all of its uncomfortable symptoms. 

The Combined Effects of Dry Mouth and Diabetes on Oral Health

Dry mouth may sound fairly innocuous, but its impact is severe, especially for people with diabetes. Sufficient saliva production and high-quality saliva are crucial for the maintenance of oral health, as they aid in the neutralization of acids, digestion, and the protection of teeth from decay. 

Conversely, lack of saliva or poor quality saliva can increase the risk of gum disease, tooth decay, and fungal infections like candidiasis — all of which can lead to untimely tooth loss. Poor oral health is a common side effect experienced by people with dry diabetes, largely because the body’s ability to produce sufficient saliva has been thrown off kilter.

As such, proper oral hygiene is crucial for diabetes symptom management. The basics of oral hygiene are daily brushing and flossing and regular dental checkups. People with diabetes may need checkups more frequently than those without — and they should inform their dentists about their condition so they can receive the best possible healthcare. 

No Diabetes or Dry Mouth Miracle Cures

Unfortunately, even the best oral hygiene routine can’t always stem the persistence of dry mouth. It can, however, mitigate the severity of its symptoms.  

Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is even, perhaps, even more crucial for diabetes management and for the minimization of dry mouth as a side effect. Good oral hygiene can reduce the impact of dry mouth, but stable blood sugar can positively impact the entire body. As diabetes is a disease that damages the heart, brain, legs, eyes, kidneys, feet, and nerves, the effects of maintaining healthy blood sugar levels are far reaching.

While there is no miracle cure for dry mouth or diabetes, people who make their own healthcare a priority can successfully manage these conditions. Additionally, finding the right diabetes and dry mouth treatment (often an endeavor of trial and error) can make the conditions much easier to manage. Just because there are no medical miracle cures doesn’t mean that people with diabetes and dry mouth can’t enjoy a high quality of life.  

FAQS

Is dry mouth a symptom of diabetes?

Yes, dry mouth is a common symptom of diabetes, and it is caused by dysfunctioning salivary glands. There are many reasons salivary glands may cease to function properly, from injury to cancer treatment to medication, and more. 

Does every person who has diabetes have dry mouth?

No, dry mouth isn’t a definite for people with diabetes, but it is a common side effect of the disease because of the effect it has on the salivary glands. 

What are the most common dry mouth treatments?

Electrostimulation, which is painless and takes just a few minutes a day, is a non-pharmacological treatment of dry mouth. There are also medications designed to stimulate the salivary glands to produce more saliva. Artificial saliva is another route — these substitutes don’t stimulate the body’s natural production of saliva but they act as replacement saliva, which can alleviate some of the discomfort of dry mouth. 

Is there a miracle cure for dry mouth?

No, there is no miracle cure for dry mouth (and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise!). There are, however, tried and tested treatments (like those described above) that can alleviate symptoms temporarily, i.e., as long as they are in use.