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Drugs or disease: evaluating salivary function in RA patients
Sandra Regina Torres1, Carlos Henrique Silva Pedrazas1, Marcos Paulo Veloso Correia2
1Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ, School of Dentistry and Oral Health Program, Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital, Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Diagnostic, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients frequently experience dry mouth (xerostomia) and reduced salivary flow (hyposalivation) compared to healthy individuals. This study highlights oral health issues in RA, even when excluding medication side effects.
Area of Science:
- Oral Medicine
- Rheumatology
- Salivary Gland Biology
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can manifest with oral complications like temporomandibular joint disorders, mucosal changes, and dry mouth.
- Evaluating salivary gland function is crucial for understanding the oral health impact of RA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess salivary gland function in individuals with RA.
- To compare salivary function between RA patients and healthy controls, specifically examining xerostomia and salivary flow rates (SFR).
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 104 RA patients and 38 healthy controls.
- Participants completed a xerostomia questionnaire.
- Resting and chewing-stimulated salivary flow rates (SFR) were measured under standardized conditions.
- Exclusion criteria included systemic conditions affecting salivary function and use of xerogenic medications for a subset of the analysis.
Main Results:
- 66.7% of RA subjects reported xerostomia versus 2.4% of controls.
- Median resting SFR was lower in RA patients (0.24 ml/min) than controls (0.40 mL/min; p=0.04).
- No significant difference in median stimulated SFR was observed between RA patients and controls (1.31 mL/min vs 1.52 mL/min; p=0.33).
- Hyposalivation was significantly more prevalent in the RA group, even after excluding subjects on xerogenic medications.
Conclusions:
- Hyposalivation and xerostomia are more common in RA patients than in controls, independent of xerogenic medication use.
- While median SFR did not differ significantly between groups, the higher prevalence of hyposalivation indicates impaired salivary gland function in RA.
- These findings underscore the importance of monitoring oral health in RA management.
