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Speech, swallowing and communication

Sialorrhoea

Saliva collecting or escaping the mouth, usually because swallowing has weakened rather than because more is being made.

What it means

The amount of saliva is generally normal. What has changed is how often it is swallowed away, which is why it is described as a swallowing change rather than a saliva one.

Why you might hear it

  • It is the clinical word in letters where a conversation would say drooling.
  • Teams ask about it directly at clinic visits.

People who may help

Where Compass goes into this

About this explanation

These are plain explanations of words you may come across, not advice about your own situation. Where a word matters to a decision, the question pages go into it properly, and your own team is the place to take it.