Parat Katica, Radić Mislav, Perković Dijana, Lukenda Dolores Biočina, Kaliterna Dusanka Martinović
Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Study of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia.
Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Center of Excellence for Systemic Sclerosis in Croatia, University Hospital Split, Split, Croatia.
J Int Med Res. 2020 Oct;48(10):300060520941375. doi: 10.1177/0300060520941375.
To analyze the correlations of saliva production and pH value with disease activity, disease severity, and oral health-related quality of life in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) without concomitant Sjögren's syndrome (SS) or SS-related antibodies.
This cross-sectional study included 28 patients with dcSSc and matching healthy controls. Sialometric assessment and caries status were compared between the two groups. Clinical and laboratory parameters were used to evaluate disease severity, in accordance with the Medsger Severity Scale.
In patients with dsSSc, reduced saliva production and higher pH value were associated with disease activity and severity; moreover, caries status was correlated with SSc disease characteristics, including disease duration and disease severity. Oral health-related quality of life was negatively correlated with mean salivary flow rate.
These findings contradict the existing notion that reduced saliva production in patients with SSc is linked to SS-related antibodies or caused by underlying SS. In addition, patients with dcSSc exhibit elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and invasive dental treatment has been shown to enhance the rates of stroke and heart attack in the general population; therefore, oral health is particularly important in patients with SSc.
分析无合并干燥综合征（SS）或SS相关抗体的弥漫性皮肤型系统性硬化症（dcSSc）患者唾液分泌量和pH值与疾病活动度、疾病严重程度及口腔健康相关生活质量的相关性。
本横断面研究纳入了28例dcSSc患者及匹配的健康对照。比较两组的唾液测量评估和龋齿状况。根据梅兹格严重程度量表，使用临床和实验室参数评估疾病严重程度。
在dcSSc患者中，唾液分泌量减少和pH值升高与疾病活动度和严重程度相关；此外，龋齿状况与SSc疾病特征相关，包括疾病持续时间和疾病严重程度。口腔健康相关生活质量与平均唾液流速呈负相关。
这些发现与现有观点相矛盾，即SSc患者唾液分泌减少与SS相关抗体有关或由潜在的SS引起。此外，dcSSc患者心血管疾病风险升高，并且在普通人群中，侵入性牙科治疗已被证明会增加中风和心脏病发作的发生率；因此，口腔健康在SSc患者中尤为重要。
