Causes

Physical weakness, treatment and drug effects reduce salivary secretion and make it sticky.

Evaluation

Use a small electric lamp and tongue depressor to observe the oral mucosa and tongue, palate and gums for dry or moist mucous membranes, broken skin, odor in the mouth, and tongue coating color

Cleaning methods

• Enhance oral cleaning: Bedridden patients can use a sponge toothbrush to clean their mouth.
• Gargle with or drink tea water, lemonade, liquorice water, plum juice, traditional Chinese medicine drink Tianshui No. 2, according to the patient's preference, to maintain the fragrance of the mouth, stimulate saliva secretion, and ease dry mouth, or hold saliva-secreting foods in the mouth, such as baxianguo, vitamin C tablets, preserved fruit, etc.
• Keep your mouth moist:
  1. Gargle regularly or moisten the inside of your mouth with a cotton swab (use the solution mentioned above).
  2. If the patient is breathing through the mouth, cover the mouth with 2 layers of wet gauze and keep the gauze and mouth moist or spray the mouth with a small spray bottle.
  3. If the room is air-conditioned for a long period of time, put a basin of water to reduce air drying.
  4. If the patient has difficulty swallowing, can't relieve dry mouth by drinking a lot of liquid, and often feels fever inside their body that seems to be burning, it is suggested that they hold ice cubes (e.g. sports drink Super Supau, juice, Ensure, etc.) and ice cream in the mouth to relieve the feeling of dry mouth and hot stomach.
  5. You can also use boiled cold water to dissipate phlegm, and use a steam spray to breathe in steam and moisten the throat.
  6. Oral moisturizing gel can be applied to increase oral moisture.
• Use Vaseline and lip balm to keep your lips moist.