Salivary and oral components of Sjögren's syndrome.

The intraoral symptoms and signs of SS are not specific to SS, being shared with other conditions in which salivary function is diminished. The decrease in saliva causes chronic oral discomfort and functional problems and predisposes patients to dental caries and oral candidiasis. Many methods have been used to assess SGs in SS objectively, but at present a labial salivary gland biopsy specimen showing focal lymphocytic sialadenitis provides the best diagnostic criterion for the salivary component of SS, in terms of its disease specificity, convenience, availability, and low risk. The treatment of xerostomia in patients with SS consists of (1) preventing new and recurrent dental caries by frequent and regular application of topical fluoride, careful dental supervision, and avoidance of sucrose and other metabolizable carbohydrates between meals; (2) reducing oral symptoms by diagnosing and treating oral candidiasis (repeatedly if necessary); and (3) attempting to replace lost saliva by stimulating salivary secretion with physiologic sialogogues or pilocarpine, or if adequate amounts of saliva cannot be stimulated, using some form of saliva substitute, especially for patients wearing complete dentures.