This wide-ranging guide to dry mouth, or xerostomia, is intended to meet the needs of dentists by providing information on all clinically relevant aspects. After introductory discussion of salivary secretion and function, the potential causes of dry mouth, including diseases affecting saliva production, drugs and irradiation, are examined. Symptoms and signs such as altered taste, bacterial changes and infection are discussed and impacts on quality of life, described. Diagnostic issues are fully explored, covering the use of clinical scoring scales, difficulties in assessment, detection of early signs and the role of salivary biomarkers. The full range of treatment options and preventive measures is then described, including the use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy to spare salivary function, the value of artificial salivas and the beneficial effects of regular chewing. The book closes by considering future treatment avenues and the potential for salivary gland regeneration.

Guy Howard Carpenter is currently Reader in Oral Biology at King's College London Dental Institute. Dr. Carpenter gained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from QMW, University of London and was awarded his PhD from King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry for work on parotid salivary glycoproteins. After undertaking postdoctoral research he became a Lecturer in Oral and Mucosal Biology at the Dental Institute of King's College London in 2004 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2008. In 2010 Dr. Carpenter served as President of the IADR Salivary Research Group and President of the Pan European Salivary Research Group. He has acted as a consultant to several leading companies and has undertaken collaborative research with scientists across the world. Dr. Carpenter is the author of numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters and is a regular invited speaker at national and international conferences.