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Taste performance in Sjogren's syndrome
J M Weiffenbach1, L K Schwartz, J C Atkinson
1Clinical Investigations and Patient Care Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Physiology & Behavior
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) patients experience reduced salivary flow and taste issues. However, taste impairment is not solely linked to salivary dysfunction, suggesting other factors contribute to oral complaints in SS.
Area of Science:
- Oral Medicine
- Immunology
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) is characterized by impaired salivary gland function and frequent oral complaints.
- Taste dysfunction in SS is often attributed to sensory deficits resulting from insufficient saliva to maintain taste receptors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess subjective complaints, salivary production, and taste functioning in SS patients compared to unaffected individuals.
- To investigate the relationship between salivary gland function, taste perception, and oral complaints in SS.
Main Methods:
- Subjective assessment of oral complaints.
- Measurement of salivary production.
- Taste functioning assessment using weak and strong taste stimuli for all four basic qualities.
- Comparison between SS patients and healthy controls.
Main Results:
- SS patients exhibited decreased salivary gland function and a higher frequency of taste complaints.
- Taste threshold sensitivity was reduced in SS patients with weak stimuli, but perception of stronger stimuli was not impaired.
- Patient judgments of taste intensity were not significantly reduced across the four taste qualities.
- Patients with absent salivary flow showed no greater likelihood of subjective complaints or taste impairments than those with residual salivary function.
Conclusions:
- The findings challenge a direct causal link between salivary gland dysfunction and taste complaints in SS.
- The results suggest that factors beyond salivary gland hypofunction contribute to the oral sensory deficits and complaints experienced by SS patients.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying taste alterations in Sjogren's Syndrome.