[Dry mouth. Case histories from a saliva clinic]

Three patients who were referred to the saliva of the Center for Special Care Dentistry (Stichting Bijzondere Tandheelkunde, SBT) in Amsterdam clearly demonstrate that in the case of patients suffering from xerostomia, it can be useful to have the saliva secretion rate determined and to take saliva into account in the aetiology and in developing a dental treatment plan. In the first case, a 39-year-old woman presented with dry mouth associated with Sjögren's syndrome. A fair degree of saliva secretion was still possible. The teeth were characterised by wear, caries lesions and sensitivity. The second patient was a 42-year-old man suffering from dry mouth associated with the use of medications. His teeth were weakened to the point of deciding to create conventional full dentures, despite a possible moderate prognosis due to oral dryness. The third patient, a 79-year-old woman, was suffering from severe dry mouth, associated with Sjögren's syndrome. Due to the ruinous condition of her teeth and extreme dry mouth, the decision was made to remove the remaining dentition and insert implant-retained dentures.