Clinical Features and Patient-Reported Outcomes in a Cohort of Patients with Sjögren’s Disease

Background: Sjögren’s disease (SD) is an autoimmune condition causing progressive salivary and lacrimal glands dysfunction following lymphocytic infiltration in the glandular tissue. SD patients are more prone to oral health impairment due to a reduction in salivary flow. This study evaluated the relationship between oral health, functional tests, and patient reported outcomes in a cohort of SD patients. Methods: Patients diagnosed with SD underwent complete dental examination, with the recording of the decayed–missing–filled teeth index (DMFT), probing pocket depth (PPD), full mouth bleeding score (FMBS), and full mouth plaque score (FMPS). Hyposalivation was assessed using the unstimulated whole saliva flow rate (UWS). Patients were administered the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Sjögren’s Syndrome Patient Reported Index, EULAR Sjögren’s syndrome disease activity index, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), Patient Acceptable Symptom State questionnaires, and a visual analog scale for xerostomia (VASx). Results: Fifty patients in total were enrolled. Reduced UWS was associated with higher DMFT, FMBS, and FMPS. Significant correlation was observed for UWS with VASx and OHIP-14 (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Quality of life and oral health appear mildly impaired in SD patients as an effect of reduced salivary flow, with higher DMFT and tendency towards gingival inflammation and plaque accumulation.