CARIES AND PERIODONTAL CONDITIONS IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY SJOGRENS-SYNDROME

The present investigation was designed to study caries and periodontal conditions in a selected group of patients with primary Sjogren's syn drome (1 degrees SS). Twenty-one patients, 20 females and 1 male aged 44-75 years (mean 64 years), with recently diagnosed 1 degrees SS cons tituted the study population. As a control group, 21 patients matched according to sex and age were randomly selected from patients at one c linic in the Public Dental Service. Clinical examinations including re gistrations of dental caries, restorations, and periodontal conditions were performed. Unstimulated and stimulated salivary secretion rates were recorded. The 1 degrees SS group had a mean number of 16.4+/-8.9 and the control group 17.1+/-8.4 natural teeth. The 1 degrees SS patie nts had significantly more DF crown surfaces (63+/-25.8 vs 43+/-21.3) and more inactive root caries (4.4+/- vs 0.51+/-0.9) than did the cont rol patients. No significant differences were found between the groups in the periodontal conditions. The mean value of the unstimulated sal ivary secretion rate was 0.09+/-0.16 ml /15 min in the 1 degrees SS gr oup and 3.33+2.81 ml/ 15 min in the control group. The stimulated secr etion rate was 0.16+/-0.15 ml/min and 1.47+/-0.64 ml/min respectively. This study confirms results from other studies that patients with 1 d egrees SS face a high risk of developing both coronal and root caries due to xerostomia. The periodontal conditions are similar to those fou nd in patient groups in general dentistry.