Prevalence and Predictors of Sjögren's Syndrome in Patients with Burning Mouth Symptoms

Aims: To investigate the prevalence and predictive factors of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in a cohort of patients with burning mouth symptoms. Methods: A total of 125 patients with burning mouth symptoms were enrolled in a prospective study and assessed for the presence of SS. The severity of oral symptoms was evaluated by using questionnaires. Salivary flow rates and salivary scintigraphy were used to evaluate salivary function. Patient laboratory work-ups were reviewed, and SS was diagnosed by a rheumatologist based on the American- European Consensus Group criteria. The differences between the SS patient group and the non-SS patient group were analyzed with chi-square test or t test. Results: A total of 12 of the 125 enrolled patients (9.5%) had a positive autoimmune antibody test, and 6 (4.8% of the entire cohort) had SS (4 [3.2%] primary and 2 [1.6%] secondary). Patients with SS exhibited significantly decreased hemoglobin levels, an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and an increased prevalence of autoantibody positive results compared to non-SS patients. Salivary scintigraphy showed that the uptake ratio of the submandibular gland in SS patients was decreased significantly. Conclusion: The prevalence of SS in patients with burning mouth symptoms was 4.8%. Therefore, clinicians who treat patients with burning mouth symptoms should evaluate laboratory findings and salivary functions to identify patients with SS. Keywords: autoantibodies, burning mouth syndrome, salivary gland, Sjögren's syndrome