Xerostomia or dry mouth is a condition that is frequently encountered in dental practice. The most common cause is the use of certain systemic medications, which make the elderly at greater risk because they are usually more medicated. Other causes include high doses of radiation and certain diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome. Xerostomia is associated with difficulties in chewing, swallowing, tasting or speaking. This results in poor diet, malnutrition and decreased social interaction. Xerostomia can cause oral discomfort, especially for denture wearers. Patients are at increased risk of developing dental caries. A thorough intraoral and extra-oral clinical examination is important for diagnosis. Treatment may include the use of salivary substitutes (Biotene), salivary stimulants such as pilocarpine, ongoing dental care, caries prevention, a review of the current prescription drug regimen and possible elimination of drugs having anticholinergic effects. Because of the ageing population, and the concomitant increase in medicated individuals, dentists can expect to be presented with xerostomia in an increasing number of patients in the coming years and therefore should be familiar with its diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to outline for clinicians the common aetiologies, clinical identification, and routine therapeutic modalities available for individuals with xerostomia.

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Osseous coagulum is regarded by some clinicians as a useful material for grafting in procedures aimed at bone replacement. Its value in this regard has been assessed experimentally. Holes ∼ 2 mm in diameter were made in the right and left parietal bones of 15 middle‐aged Wistar‐strain albino rats weighing ∼ 500 g. Osseous coagulum was obtained from the interparietal bone, and was placed into the left hole, while the right served as a control. Three of the animals were injected with tetracycline; these animals were sacrificed at 4, 8 and 12 weeks postoperatively, and undemineralized sections of their calvaria were viewed in ultraviolet light to assess accretion of new bone. The remaining 12 animals were sacrificed at postoperative intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 12 weeks, and serial sections of their calvaria were examined by routine histological methods. The observations indicate that, in this system in which repair is normally poor, osseous coagulum consistently did not appear to have induced the formation of new bony callus. These findings bring into question the value of using osseous coagulum as an autograft in clinical periodontal procedures aimed at restoring the attachment apparatus.

The value of autogenous marrow as a bone graft material was examined. Holes ∼ 2 mm in diameter were made in. the right and left parietal bones of 9 middle –aged Wistar‐strain albino rats weighing ∼ 500 g. Bone marrow was obtained from the medullary cavity of the femur and immediately placed into the left hole, while the right served as a control. All animals were killed 12 weeks postoperatively. Their calvaria were examined radio graphically and by routine histological methods. It was found that whereas the control defects never healed, those grafted with autogenous marrow were consistently filled with a bone ossicle. These findings suggest that bone marrow grafts, may be of value in periodontal therapy.

The data indicate that the periodontal health of these patients is poor. Risk indicators or markers of poor periodontal health in the population studied included missing teeth, plaque scores, age, current smoking status, regularity of dental visits, and flossing frequency. This supports previous findings that behavioral factors play an important role in periodontal disease.