Impairment of salivary function in juvenile idiopathic oligoarticular arthritis is a sign of early onset disease

Aim Recent evidences of the presence of reduced stimulated salivary flow rate and altered saliva composition in oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (o-JIA) suggest a specific damage to the salivary glands. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether reduced salivary flow rate could be related to age and gender at disease onset in o-JIA. Methods A total of 57 Caucasian patients (41 females and 16 males) aged 5 to 16 years affected by o-JIA were consecutively enrolled in the study. Information on medication intake, dietary and oral hygiene habits were gathered through a standardised questionnaire. All patients underwent oral and sialometry examination. Results Alteration in the stimulated salivary flow rate (SFR) was detected in 29 children; 18 and 11 of them displayed SFR < 3.5 ml and SFR between 3.5 and 5 ml, respectively, while 28 showed a normal SFR. Early disease onset (p <0.001) and female gender (p = 0.044) were associated with very low SFR pattern. The rate of reduction in SFR decreased as age increased. For children less than 7 years old, the odds of suffering of very low SFR was 25-fold higher as compared to older JIA children (OR 24.94, 95% IC: 5.03, 123.77; p <0.001). Conclusion Early onset disease would seem to be associated with salivary glands impairment. Regular dental and salivary gland function assessments may be highly recommended in o-JIA patients considering that saliva collection is a non-invasive and inexpensive procedure.