There are various reasons for dry mouth. Generally, it mainly occurs in the elderly.

The elderly may experience a bitter and dry mouth and a lack of taste in the mouth. Especially in the morning, they may feel oral burning pain or numbness. In severe cases, it's very difficult to swallow a piece of bread without drinking water. They also usually feel that their saliva is sticky.

In fact, this is a symptom caused by a decrease in saliva due to multiple factors. It can be a physiological or pathological phenomenon.

The functions of the elderly's body organs will degenerate to varying degrees. Many organs in the body will undergo age - related changes as people get older, and the oral mucosa is no exception. The mucosa becomes thinner, loses its elasticity, saliva secretion decreases, and the immune system weakens.

Another cause is an organic lesion of the oral mucosa, namely Sjögren's syndrome, which can lead to dry mouth, dry eyes, and genital lesions.