Drug effects on salivary glands: dry mouth

OBJECTIVE: To identify drugs associated with the complaint of dry mouth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for papers 1980-2002 using keywords, oral, mouth, salivary, drugs, dry mouth and xerostomia, and relevant secondary references were hand-searched. RESULTS: Evidence was forthcoming for a number of xerogenic drugs, especially antimuscarinic agents, some sympathomimetic agents, and agents affecting serotonin and noradrenaline uptake, as well as a miscellany of other drugs such as appetite suppressants, protease inhibitors and cytokines. CONCLUSION: Dry mouth has a variety of possible causes but drugs - especially those with anticholinergic activity against the M3 muscarinic receptor - are the most common cause of reduced salivation.