Patient's question:
Female teamAge
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: Excessive drooling. First follow-up question: The child's teeth have grown in, and they are healthy, but they drool excessively. The child's father also drooled excessively as a child and continued until he was 7 years old. Is this hereditary? If not, what are some good remedies?
Doctor's answer:
Hello, saliva is secreted by three pairs of salivary glands in the mouth. Saliva contains many digestive enzymes, which play a significant role in food digestion. Newborns' salivary glands are not fully developed, and their saliva secretion is very limited. Starting from 5-6 months after birth, the salivary glands begin to develop. At the same time, the addition of complementary foods stimulates saliva secretion and the development of salivary glands. Due to the relatively small oral cavity of infants and poor swallowing regulation function, they often fail to swallow in time, causing saliva to flow outside the mouth. As the child grows older, this phenomenon gradually disappears. However, when new milk teeth erupt, they stimulate the salivary glands, leading to an increase in saliva secretion, which may again cause drooling. These are all normal physiological phenomena.Various oral inflammation, tongue inflammation, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis can stimulate the salivary glands, causing drooling. The drooling will stop once the disease is cured. Persistent drooling is often associated with central nervous system disorders, such as congenital brain developmental abnormalities, encephalitis, or sequelae of meningitis. This is because brain lesions disrupt the function of swallowing saliva.
Whether drooling is long-term or short-term, it can cause erosion on both sides of the mouth corners. The skin under the jaw is frequently exposed to saliva, becoming red and developing eczema or epidermal breakdown and ulcers. This may also lead to bacterial infections. Therefore, it is important to keep the affected skin dry and use a bib if necessary. If drooling is caused by a disease, active treatment of the disease should be pursued.