SJOGREN'S SYNDROME: A REVIEW OF CLINICAL FEATURES, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTS AVAILABLE Review Article

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) (also known as “Mikulicz disease” and “Sicca syndrome”) is a slowly progressive disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the exocrine glands. It is characterized by the Xerostomia, Keratoconjuctivitis sicca and B-lymphocytes hyperactivity. Salivary and lacrimal glands are the most affected, thus leading to mouth and eye dryness. Prevalence of primary-SS in the general population has been estimated to be around 1 to 3%. Nine out of ten Sjogren's patients are women and the average age of onset is late 40s, although Sjogren's occurs in all age groups in both women and men. In the majority of the patients, SS has an indolent or slowly progressive course with disease confined in exocrine glands. At presentation or during the course of the disease, almost one third of the primary-SS patients experience a more generalized disease, which does not usually evolve the failure of the affected organ. The most important complication is a 44-fold increase in the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, compared with the general population. The treatment of Sjogren’s syndrome is limited to symptomatic management, and involves the use of solutions to replace salivary secretion and afford a measure of hydration, cholinergic agents such as pilocarpine to stimulate the unaffected gland tissue and, recently, the administration of substances that act against surface antigens of the B lymphocytes, such as anti-CD20 and anti-CD22 antibodies. The present study provides an update on this disease, placing special emphasis on its odontologic implications.