Identifying Risk Factors for Sialolithiasis

To investigate potential risk factors associated with the development of sialolithiasis in a database-driven case-control study.

The All of Us database was queried for participants with sialolithiasis. These participants were matched to controls by age, race, and gender. Demographics and medical history data, such as obesity, hypertension, tonsillitis, gout, and other conditions associated with salivary stones, were extracted and compared among participants. A logistic regression model using optimized parameters was used to identify variables associated with sialolithiasis.

In total, 2160 participants were included in the analysis, with 540 diagnosed with sialolithiasis and 1620 matched controls. Sjogren's syndrome (OR = 2.057, 95% CI: 1.106-3.824, p = 0.023) and obesity (OR = 1.419, 95% CI: 1.118-1.802, p = 0.004) were significantly associated with increased odds of sialolithiasis, while essential hypertension (OR = 0.279, 95% CI: 0.23-0.339, p = 0.0) and Type 2 diabetes without complication (OR = 0.771, 95% CI: 0.601-0.989, p = 0.041) were inversely associated. No significant associations were observed for dehydration, hyperparathyroidism, acute tonsillitis, alcohol abuse, smoking, hypercalcemia, gout, nephrolithiasis, gallstones, systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoporosis, or bipolar disorder.

This study, using a large-scale database, aimed to identify potential risk factors associated with sialolithiasis, thereby improving our understanding of its pathogenesis and paving the way for early diagnosis and intervention. The commonality among the identified risk factors appears to be their association with reduced salivary flow or alterations in fluid dynamics and composition, which are known contributors to the formation of salivary stones.