Patient's question:
A 4-month-old child, recently has been drooling a lot, drools more when picked up, and sometimes licks the spit out with their tongue! They haven't had a bowel movement for 5 days and don't drink much water. Additional information: When being held, they always lick their clothes with their tongue! She is a preterm baby, one month early, and after having her hair shaved on the back of her head, it hasn't grown back at all, only a little on top.Doctor's answer:
Hello: This issue needs to be explained starting from the characteristics of children's oral cavities. The oral cavity of a child changes with growth and development. Newborns have no teeth in their mouths, with a short and wide tongue, thick fat layers in the cheeks, well-developed facial muscles, and thickened, protruding mucous membranes of the jawbones. All of these features are beneficial for gripping the nipple and coordinating sucking movements during feeding. Due to the absence of erupted teeth and underdeveloped alveolar ridges, infants' palates and oral floors are relatively shallow.Between 6 to 7 months of age, the secretion of saliva gradually increases in children. However, during this period, their swallowing reflex is not yet sensitive. Since there are no alveolar ridges to block the saliva, it is not swallowed. As a result, children often experience drooling during this time. Drooling at this stage is a physiological phenomenon and does not require treatment. As children grow and develop, their teeth erupt, alveolar ridges gradually form, the palate slowly rises, the oral floor gradually deepens, and swallowing movements are trained. The drooling phenomenon will improve.
Parents should pay attention that in some cases, drooling in infants is pathological, indicating that the infant may be suffering from certain diseases. For example, if the child drools excessively and has cracked, inflamed corners of the mouth, it is likely due to angular cheilitis. If accompanied by redness or ulcers in the oral mucosa, refusal to eat, and irritability, it may be caused by oral thrush. If there is unilateral or bilateral facial muscle atrophy and difficulty chewing, it could be due to poor digestion or intestinal ascariasis. If accompanied by intellectual developmental delays or dementia, it may be caused by underdevelopment of the brain's nervous system. These pathological cases of drooling require medical examination and treatment. Generally, once the underlying cause is addressed, the child's drooling will improve or resolve.
Since saliva contains digestive enzymes and other substances,