Distorted Taste and Impaired Oral Health in Patients with Sicca Complaints

Senses of smell and taste, saliva flow, and dental status are considered as important factors for the maintenance of a good nutritional status. Salivary secretory rates, chemosensory function, burning mouth sensation, halitosis and dental status were investigated in 58 primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) patients, 22 non-Sjögren's syndrome sicca (non-SS) patients, and 57 age-matched healthy controls. A significantly greater proportion of pSS and non-SS patients had ageusia, dysgeusia, burning mouth sensation, and halitosis compared to controls. Patients with pSS had significantly lower olfactory and gustatory scores, and significantly higher caries experience compared to controls. Patients with pSS and non-SS patients had significantly lower unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva secretory rates compared to controls. The findings indicated that several different aspects of oral health were compromised in both pSS and non-SS patients, and this may affect their food intake and, hence, their nutritional status. Although non-SS patients do not fulfill Sjögren's syndrome classification criteria, they have similar or, in some cases, even worse oral complaints than the pSS patients. Further studies are needed to investigate food preferences, dietary intake, and nutritional status in these two patient groups in relation to their health condition.