Lack of saliva also affects the digestive process, which normally begins as food is first chewed and saliva begins to break it down. If chewing is affected, this too can impact digestion and nutrition.
Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin believe they have come up with a potential cure. They engineered a hydrogel reservoir and loaded it up with artificial saliva, which consists of mostly water and mucins, antimicrobial substances that lubricate the mouth. Hydrogels are water-based substances that can also hold a large quantity of liquids. They’ve been studied for use as everything from a bone-mending solution to an atmospheric water harvester.