Drooling and Aspiration of Saliva

Amy Hughes; Elton M Lambert

doi:10.1016/j.otc.2022.07.007

Drooling and Aspiration of Saliva

Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2022 Dec;55(6):1181-1194. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2022.07.007.

Authors

Amy Hughes¹, Elton M Lambert²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology, Connecticut Children's, Division of Otolaryngology, UCONN School of Medicine, 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106, USA; Department of Surgery, UCONN School of Medicine, 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106, USA.
² Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, Texas Children's Hospital; Department of Otolaryngology, Baylor College of Medicine, 6701 Fannin Street D. 640, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. Electronic address: emashela@texaschildrens.org.

PMID: 36371134
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2022.07.007

Abstract

Drooling and aspiration of saliva can affect the quality of life and morbidity of patients with neuromuscular diseases. Practitioners must differentiate between drooling with and without aspiration of saliva, as the presence of aspiration affects respiratory health. There are several validated drooling scales, but validated assessments for aspiration of saliva are lacking. Once diagnosed, drooling can be treated with rehabilitative therapy, anticholinergics, botulinum toxin to the salivary glands, and surgery. Drooling with aspiration of saliva often requires multidisciplinary engagement to decrease the risk of respiratory complications.

Keywords: Aspiration of saliva; Botulinum toxin injections to the salivary glands; Drooling; Duct ligation; Sialorrhea; Submandibular gland excision.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Botulinum Toxins, Type A* / therapeutic use
Cerebral Palsy* / complications
Humans
Neuromuscular Agents*
Quality of Life
Saliva
Sialorrhea* / diagnosis
Sialorrhea* / etiology
Sialorrhea* / therapy
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Neuromuscular Agents
Botulinum Toxins, Type A