Dry mouth and diabetes

Dry mouth

Dry mouth is a condition that occurs due to saliva deficiency. Saliva has many roles; it moisturizes the mouth and thus helps with clear speech and easily chewing and eating. Furthermore, bad bacteria are controlled by saliva and thus the infections in the mouth are prevented. Saliva also clears the acids that the plaque produces.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition marked by the increased levels of glucose in the blood. There are three types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough amounts of the hormone insulin responsible for regulating the levels of sugar in the blood. Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance occurs when the pancreas produces enough insulin but the cells do not recognize it and do not respond to it. The third type of diabetes occurs in pregnant woman and is similar to type 2 diabetes. It is called gestational diabetes mellitus.

Dry mouth and diabetes

In the majority of cases, dry mouth is one of the most common symptoms of diabetes, especially diabetes type 1. The people who suffer from diabetes must control it. Therefore, they take various medications. Many of these medications tend to dry the mouth. Furthermore, diabetes is a very serious condition that can lead to many health disorders. For that reason, the diabetics also take many medicines to control the blood pressure, which may also cause dry mouth.

It is known that the people who suffer from diabetes are susceptible to dehydration, which leads to the occurrence of drymouth. Moreover, dry mouth may occur due to kidney problems that are caused by diabetes. The potential cause of dry mouth in diabetic people is also the high level of glucose in the blood or hyperglycemia.

Symptoms of dry mouth in diabetics

Dry mouth is a warning sign of diabetes. However, there are several other symptoms that accompany this warning sign when diabetes is in the question. Dry mouth that occurs because of diabetes may be accompanied by the inflammation of the gums or gingivitis and mouth sores. Furthermore, the diabetics may experience the presence of dental cavities in places least susceptible to them, or they may develop cheilitis, which is a medical term for the condition marked by the appearance of dry, white and irritated corners or edges of the mouth. Sometimes even yeast infection of the tongue may occur as an accompanying symptom of dry mouth due to diabetes.