Abstract
Senses of smell and taste, saliva flow, and dental status are considered as important factors for the maintenance of a good nutritional status. Salivary secretory rates, chemosensory function, burning mouth sensation, halitosis and dental status were investigated in 58 patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), 22 non-Sjögren’s syndrome sicca (non-SS) patients, and 57 age-matched healthy controls. A significantly greater proportion of patients with pSS and non-SS had ageusia, dysgeusia, burning mouth sensation, and halitosis compared to controls. Patients with pSS had significantly lower olfactory and gustatory scores, and significantly higher caries experience compared to controls. Patients with pSS and non-SS patients had significantly lower unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva secretory rates compared to controls. The findings indicated that several different aspects of oral health were compromised in both, patients with pSS and non-SS, and this may affect their food intake and, hence, their nutritional status. Although non-SS patients do not fulfill Sjögren’s syndrome classification criteria, they have similar or, in some cases, even worse oral complaints than the patients with pSS. Further studies are needed to investigate food preferences, dietary intake, and nutritional status in these two patient groups in relation to their health condition.
Highlights
Nutritional status is closely associated with health status, and decline in dietary intake can lead to weight loss and increased risk for disease [1]
The frequency of dysgeusia, burning sensation, and halitosis was significantly higher in the non-Sjögren’s syndrome sicca (non-s syndrome (SS)) and primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) groups versus controls, and these self-reported complaints showed significant association with the disease (p < 0.001)
There were no significant differences in H2 S and CH3 SH levels between the groups
Summary
Nutritional status is closely associated with health status, and decline in dietary intake can lead to weight loss and increased risk for disease [1]. The senses of smell and taste are important for nutrition—smell is vital in identifying potential dietary substances in the environment, while taste is instrumental in voluntary ingestion and early digestion of these dietary substances [2]. Saliva and nasal mucus are important for maintaining normal function of the taste buds imbedded in the oral epithelium and olfactory cells found in the nasal cavity [3]. Patients with reduced salivary secretion are known to have taste and smell abnormalities [3,4]. Nutritional status is impaired in patients with taste and smell disorders [5]. Most studies showing taste and smell abnormalities in patients with dry mouth are reported from patients with Sjögren’s syndrome.
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