Patient's question:
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: The child has been drooling a lot every day since they were about 4 and a half months old! Is this normal?Doctor's answer:
Hello, this issue needs to be explained starting from the characteristics of children's oral cavity. The oral cavity of children changes with growth and development. Newborns have no teeth in their mouths, with a short and wide tongue, thick fatty layers in the cheeks, well-developed facial muscles, and thickened, protruding mucous membranes of the jawbones. All of these are conducive to gripping the nipple during feeding and coordinating sucking movements. Due to the absence of erupted teeth and underdeveloped alveolar ridges, the palate and oral floor of infants are relatively shallow.Between 6 to 7 months of age, the secretion of saliva gradually increases in children, but during this period, their swallowing reflex is not sensitive. Since there are no alveolar ridges to obstruct saliva, it is not swallowed. As a result, children often exhibit drooling during this time. Drooling is a physiological phenomenon at this stage and does not require treatment. As children grow and develop, with the eruption of teeth, the gradual formation of alveolar ridges, the slow elevation of the palate, the gradual deepening of the oral floor, and the training of swallowing movements, 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 an infant drools excessively and has cracked, inflamed corners of the mouth, it is likely due to angular cheilitis-induced drooling. If accompanied by redness or ulcers in the oral mucosa, refusal to eat, and irritability, it is caused by oral inflammation-induced drooling. If accompanied by unilateral or bilateral facial muscle atrophy and weak chewing ability, it may be due to indigestion or intestinal ascariasis-induced drooling. If accompanied by intellectual developmental delays or dementia, it may be caused by underdevelopment of the brain's nervous system. These pathological drooling conditions require medical examination and treatment. Generally, once the underlying cause is addressed, the infant's drooling will improve or resolve.
Since saliva contains digestive enzymes and other substances,