[The clinical and cytological characteristics of the oral mucosa in Sjögren's disease and chronic parotitis].

Clinical stomatologic and cytologic studies were carried out in 31 patients with Sjogren's disease, 12 ones with chronic parotitis, and 5 normal subjects. Patients with Sjogren's disease, in contrast to those with chronic parotitis, develop clinically manifest signs of dry exfoliative cheilitis, xerostomia, atrophic changes in the buccal mucosa; this condition is associated with a very high caries intensity and no clinical manifestations of periodontitis or tartar. Elevated leukocyte levels in oral washings and oral fluid of patients with Sjogren's disease and chronic parotitis point to inflammations in the salivary glands, buccal mucosa, and periodontal tissues. Assessment of the leukocyte levels may be used for monitoring the disease course and treatment efficacy. A 3-5-fold enlargement of the deep-layer epitheliocytes, seen on the cytogram of oral washings, is characteristic of patients with Sjogren's disease, in contrast to those with chronic parotitis or normal subjects. A differentiated estimation of the epitheliocyte types in the cytogram of oral washings may be used in the diagnosis of Sjogren's disease along with the criteria suggested before.