Stimulated whole salivary flow rate: The most appropriate technique for assessing salivary flow in Sjögren syndrome / Caudal salival total estimulado: la técnica más adecuada para evaluar el flujo salival en el síndrome de Sjögren

ABSTRACT

Background: We sought to determine the most appropriate method for measuring salivary flow to aid the diag-nosis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Specifically, we compared the unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR)with the stimulated whole salivary flow rate (SWSFR).Material and Methods: This case-control study comprised one group of 103 patients with SS and a control group of50 healthy people. We measured the UWSFR and SWSFR in both groups according to the guidelines establishedby Navacet (1993).Results: The UWSFR and SWSFR were significantly lower in the patient group compared with the controls ( p <0.01). Among the participants in the patient group, we found a decreased UWSFR in 84 individuals (81.5%) and adecreased SWSFR in 90 individuals (87.4%). We encountered difficulties obtaining saliva in 37 (35.9%) patientsduring the UWSFR test, and in 12 (11.7%) patients during the SWSFR test. There was no significant statisticaldifference in the UWSFR or SWSFR between patients with primary and secondary SS.Conclusions: Compared with the UWSFR, the SWSFR is a more suitable and effective method for measuringsalivary flow in patients with SS, as well as for qualitative analysis of the obtained saliva.(AU)