Questions
What should be done if a child has excessive saliva? How to deal with excessive saliva in a child?
Answers
Drooling in children can be classified into physiological and pathological types, with most cases being physiological. Around four to five months of age, children start eating solid food and grow milk teeth, which stimulate an increase in saliva production. However, children’s oral cavities are shallow, and they do not swallow excess saliva in time, leading to drooling. This is a normal physiological phenomenon that does not require treatment. By the age of two and a half, the situation of drooling usually improves. But if the saliva has a yellow or pale red color, accompanied by an odor and slight fever, it may be a pathological condition that requires medical treatment. For children who tend to drool, attention should be paid to local cleaning, using soft cloth bibs to keep the area dry, and changing them frequently. Hello, sialorrhea refers to the involuntary overflow of saliva from the mouth. Infants under one year old often dribble due to small oral cavities, large saliva production, and an underdeveloped nervous system that cannot control mouth movements and swallowing. Additionally, teething stimulates the gums, usually resulting in drooling. With growth and development, around the age of one, the situation of drooling usually decreases. If a child is still drooling at the age of two, it may be abnormal, such as cerebral palsy or congenital dementia. Moreover, oral ulcers or weakness of the spleen and stomach can also cause drooling. Pay attention to observe the child’s performance, especially when they have a fever or refuse to eat, and perform an oral examination to check for oral ulcers. If it is caused by weakness of the spleen and stomach, avoid excessive warmth and pay attention to dietary moderation to prevent it.