The most common symptoms reported by patients include constant thirst and difficulty eating, swallowing, or speaking.

Foamy or stringy saliva, irritation of the tongue, burning of the tissues inside the mouth, painful ulcerations and dentin hypersensitivity (extreme sensitivity in one or more teeth) are also dry mouth symptoms.

Over time, xerostomia sufferers may experience extensive tooth decay, tooth loss or gingivitis (gum disease) due to the lack of saliva, said an AGD release.

Keliman presented these findings at the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) 57th Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Baltimore, held between July 8-12.