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Dry mouth – What helps when saliva is missing?

The causes of dry mouth – and what really helps

Konstantin Satushev 30.11.2025

Xerostomia (the feeling of a dry mouth) affects an estimated 20% of the general population, up to 30% of women, and as many as 50% in the elderly.

The causes are diverse:

✓400+ medications are associated with dry mouth, including antidepressants, antihypertensives, antihistamines and diuretics
✓Chronic conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome or diabetes
✓Radio- or chemotherapy in the head and neck region

What that means

Especially in older age, other health issues often take priority – and dry mouth is overlooked. Yet its consequences are significant:

✓Increased risk of caries, gum disease and infections
✓Sleep disturbances, pain and a noticeable loss in quality of life

And the treatment?

A major Cochrane meta analysis including 36 studies shows:

✓There is no strong evidence that common topical therapies such as sprays, gels, mouth rinses, lozenges or chewing gum reliably reduce dry-mouth symptoms.
✓Some products show moderate short-term benefits, but overall effects remain small and inconsistent.
✓Long-term improvements in quality of life are barely documented in the studies.

However, research is moving forward. New approaches and technologies aim to close the gaps of existing therapies – for example, solutions that offer longer-lasting moisture or innovative mechanisms of action.

We will soon introduce one of these new concepts 💙

Source: Furness S, Worthington HV, Bryan G, Birchenough S, McMillan R (2011). “Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (12): CD008934. PMID 22161442. Cochrane Review (2011)

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Konstantin Satushev CEO und Verwaltungsratspräsident

Our healthcare system is under constant cost pressure. It is often assumed that cost-cutting automatically leads to lower quality. At Sana Swiss Services, we demonstrate that this does not have to be the case. We are rethinking procurement and logistics so that hospitals and care facilities can reduce their costs without having to compromise on quality.

During my Master’s degree in Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich, I studied how the brain maintains a stable energy supply when available resources become scarce. This fascination with balance and resilience remains with me to this day.

It is important to me to combine scientific thinking with entrepreneurial action, thereby helping to make our healthcare system simpler, more affordable and more humane – for everyone who works within it and for everyone who depends on it.

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