Xerostomia
Pronunciation: zeer-oh-STOH-mee-uh
The subjective sensation of dry mouth, commonly caused by reduced or absent saliva flow.
Full Definition
Xerostomia describes the patient's subjective complaint of dry mouth and is clinically distinguished from hyposalivation, which is the objectively measurable reduction in salivary flow rate. The two terms are related but not synonymous: a patient may report xerostomia with a normal measured salivary flow, or may have hyposalivation without the subjective sensation. Editors must preserve this distinction in clinical case reports, drug information documents, and medical history records. Xerostomia is a recognized side effect of many medications (polypharmacy) and is highly relevant in dental records because it increases caries risk. It is frequently misspelled as 'xerostemia' or 'zerostomia.'
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from 'hyposalivation' (objective reduction in salivary output). 'Dry mouth' is acceptable in patient-facing documents but 'xerostomia' is preferred in clinical records and academic writing.
In Context
- "The medical history review noted xerostomia as a side effect of the patient's antidepressant medication, flagged as a caries risk factor." — Medical history review in a dental record
- "The author had written 'zerostomia' throughout the article; this was corrected to 'xerostomia' at copy-editing stage." — Academic dental journal copy-editing