L. Jorkjend

Resting and stimulated whole salivary flow rates in Sjögren's syndrome patients over time: a diagnostic aid for subsidized dental care?

The aim of the present study was to evaluate Swedish and Norwegian criteria currently applied in the assessment of eligibility for subsidized dental care of Sjögrens syndrome (SS) patients. These criteria are partly based on a single salivary test showing a resting whole salivary secretion rate of ≤0.1 mL/min. Thirty secondary Sjögren (SSS) patients (29 F and 1 M) participated for the duration of the study, in which resting (RWS) and stimulated (SWS) whole salivary flow rates were collected in the morning and afternoon, over 3 consecutive weeks, once per week, as well as at different times over a 5-year period. Twenty patients presented levels of RWS flow rates of ≤0.1 mL/min on one or more occasions over a 3-week period, while 8 of these also exceeded, on one or more occasions, the cut-off level of 0.1 mL/min, indicating that salivary flow rates varied over time. Six patients showed consistently low secretion rates of RWS as well as of SWS, estimated as ≤0.1 mL/min and ≤0.7 mL/min, respectively. Based on the results, salivary tests that are to be used as a diagnostic aid for SS diagnosis, and thus as a basis for inclusion within the subsidy net for dental care, must be taken on several occasions in order to more accurately give information about salivary gland function. In line with this, current regulations governing the eligibility of SS patients within subsidized dental care programs should be reviewed.

A comparison of two clinical methods for measuring saliva in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

Abstract Objective. The aim of the present study was to evaluate two different ways of measuring unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary output in the dental clinic, namely by volume (mL/min) and by weight (g/min). Materials and methods. Thirty-one patients diagnosed with Secondary Sjögrens syndrome (SSS) participated in the study. Results. The results showed a large discrepancy between the measurements performed by volume and by weight (p < 0.001) and additionally when taking into account density calculation, especially in individuals with low salivary secretion rate. Conclusion. It is suggested that weight measurement of saliva should be more routinely implemented, especially in patients with reduced salivary secretion.