Reference/Features

Sjögren’s syndrome: a challenge for dentistry

7 mins read Systemic diseases
Sjögren’s syndrome is a debilitating autoimmune disorder with symptoms of a dry mouth and associated oral problems. It affects around 5% of females and 0.5% of males in the general population. The dental team should help relieve the oral symptoms and refer on for assistance with the systemic effects

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), also known as Sicca syndrome, is a relatively common autoimmune disease, affecting around 0.5% of adults, which is about 500 000 people in the UK. Its prevalence increases with age and it is much more common in women, with a ratio of 9:1 to men. The disease usually starts between the ages 40 and 60 and is rarely seen in children and adolescents.

The condition can be subdivided into primary Sjögren’s syndrome (PSS), with no underlying disease, or secondary (SSS) when it is associated with other autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or primary biliary cirrhosis (Carr et al. 2012).

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