RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Management of drooling in children
JF Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition
JO Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP 25
OP 30
DO 10.1136/adc.2007.129478
VO 96
IS 1
A1 C B R Fairhurst
A1 H Cockerill
YR 2011
UL http://ep.bmj.com/content/96/1/25.abstract
AB Drooling beyond the age of 4 years is neurodevelopmentally abnormal. Chronic “sialorrhoea” is seen in children with abnormal oral sensation and/or motor control and more infrequently when there is excessive production of saliva. Salivary production from the paired glands is under autonomic parasympathetic control. Management of the problem relies on multidisciplinary teams with a focus on assessment and when appropriate conservative interventions, oral motor training, dental appliances, medical and surgical treatment programs. Medically, the focus is on modifying the neuroglandular control of saliva with the use of anticholinergic agents. The article covers these areas of background, assessment and management in detail.