Role of hormone replacement therapy in relieving oral dryness symptoms in postmenopausal women: a case control study

Background To evaluate the efficacy of hormone replacement therapy in relieving oral symptoms in postmenopausal women presenting with genitourinary symptoms along with oral dryness. Methods A case–control study was conducted after selecting 60 postmenopausal women. Oral dryness status of all the patients was evaluated with the help of questionnaire related to oral dryness. These subjects were divided into case group and control group on the basis of response to questionnaire of oral dryness. Unstimulated saliva samples were obtained and analyzed for estimation of salivary estradiol levels by enzyme linked immune sorbent assay technique. After analyzing the result of salivary estradiol levels, case group was subjected to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The patients were followed up for their response towards oral dryness as well as salivary estradiol levels after the therapy. Results The mean salivary estradiol level before HRT was significantly more among control group as compared to case group (p value < 0.001). Most of the patients complained of dry mouth (26 out of 30); reduced amount of saliva in the mouth (25 out of 30); dry mouth at night (28 out of 30); dry mouth during the day (25 out of 30) before HRT. These complains were significantly reduced after the therapy. The mean salivary estradiol in the case group levels increased significantly after HRT (p value < 0.001). Conclusion The salivary estradiol levels were reduced in post menopausal women with the complain of xerostomia as compared to those without the complain of xerostomia. Further these levels can be recovered with the help of hormone replacement therapy.

Protease inhibitor concentrations in the saliva of individuals experiencing oral dryness

Background Oral dryness is a common symptom that may interfere with swallowing, chewing, and taste. The most common reason for oral dryness is hyposalivation. Some individuals experiencing oral dryness do not have hyposalivation, however, and the reverse is also true. Here, we focused on healthy individuals with a lower salivary flow rate and evaluated the relationship between the perception of oral dryness and salivary parameters to clarify the cause underlying the perception of oral dryness. Methods A total of 59 participants were divided into 2 groups with a lower or higher salivary flow rate according to the median salivary flow rate. In participants with a lower salivary flow rate, we assessed salivary bacterial counts, protease activities, protein concentrations, oral parameters, and the subjective perception of oral dryness. Results Protease activities and concentrations of protease inhibitors such as cystatin-D and cystatin-SA in the saliva of participants experiencing oral dryness were significantly higher and lower, respectively, than in those not experiencing oral dryness, even though no difference in the salivary flow rate was detected. Salivary cystatin-D and cystatin-SA concentrations correlated negatively with salivary protease activities. Conclusions The composition of salivary protease inhibitors and increased protease activities affect the subjective perception of oral dryness.

Effect of Heated Humidified High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) Oxygen Therapy in Dyspnea Patients with Advanced Cancer, a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

PurposeHeated humidified high flow nasal cannula(HFNC) oxygen therapy is one of the most important oxygen therapy methods, which are commonly applied to relieve dyspnea in advanced cancer patients. Our study aims to observe the efficacy and safety of HFNC oxygen therapy on dyspnea patients with advanced cancer and explore the clinical application.Methods 60 subjects with advanced cancer requiring oxygen therapy from a Grade 3, Class A hospital in China were recruited and randomized (1:1) to traditional nasal catheter oxygen therapy or HFNC. Primary outcomes were dyspnea, oral dryness and sleep condition, which were recorded after 72-hour treatment. Secondary outcomes were heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), SpO2, PaO2 and PaCO2, which were recorded after 2, 6, 24 and 72 hours-treatment.Results72 hours after treatment, there were significant improvement in all primary outcomes (P<0.001). PaO2 and RR were statistically changed 2 hours after HFNC treatment (P<0.001). PaCO2 and HR were statistically changed 24 hours after HFNC treatment (P<0.001). ConclusionHFNC oxygen therapy has good effect, high safety and is easy to be accepted by dyspnea patients with advanced cancer. It can be used as the first choice of oxygen therapy for these patients and has broad clinical prospects.This work was retrospectively registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR2100049582) on August 4, 2021.

Effect of Oral Health Education Using a Mobile App (OHEMA) on the Oral Health and Swallowing-Related Quality of Life in Community-Based Integrated Care of the Elderly: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study investigated the effect of oral health education using a mobile app (OHEMA) on the oral health and swallowing-related quality of life (SWAL-QoL) of the elderly population in a community-based integrated care project (CICP). Forty elderly individuals in the CICP were randomized into intervention and control groups. OHEMA provided information on customized oral health care management, oral exercises, and intraoral and extraoral massage methods for 50 min/session, once a week, for 6 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed the unstimulated salivary flow rate, subjective oral dryness, tongue pressure, and SWAL-QoL, which were analyzed using ANCOVA and repeated measures ANOVA. In the intervention group, tongue pressure increased significantly from pre- (17.75) to post-intervention (27.24) (p < 0.001), and subjective oral dryness decreased from pre- (30.75) to post-intervention (18.50). The unstimulated salivary flow rate had a higher mean score in the intervention group (7.19) than in the control group (5.04) (p < 0.001). The SWAL-QoL significantly improved from pre- (152.10) to post-intervention (171.50) in the intervention group (p < 0.001) but did not change significantly in the control group (p > 0.05). OHEMA appears to be a useful tool for oral health education for the elderly as it improved the SWAL-QoL, with increased tongue pressure and reduced oral dryness.

Gender-wise comparison of oral health quality of life and its relationship with oral health parameters among elderly from Wroclaw, south-west Poland

Background In recent years, there has been an increase of aging population with longer life expectancy in females. This study aims to compare some oral health parameters and quality of life in the elderly. Methods The survey involved 500 urban residents (Wroclaw, Poland) aged 65 and older, of both gender. Socio-demografic data were assessed by self-reported questionnaire. Clinical examination included oral health assessment by the World Health Organization criteria with extension and oral dryness (Chalacombe scale). Quality of Life (QoL) was evaluated using Euro-Quality of Life, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which were validated for the Polish population. The relationship strength between psychometric scale scores and sociodemographic and clinical factors was determined by calculating Spearman’s linear correlation coefficient values and regression coefficient values. Results There was no gender-wise differences in oral health parameters, except for a higher number of decayed teeth in males (DT 1.9±3.2 vs 1.2±2.4; p = 0.34). Oral dryness was diagnosed significantly more frequently in females then males (36.9% vs. 25.5%; p = 0.076). The males were significantly more likely to have high treatment needs (36.1% vs. 26.9%; p = 0.032) and they required urgent dental treatment (7.2% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.022). There were no significant differences in terms of QoL evaluated by EQ-5D, EQ-5D VAS or OHIP-14 questionnaires between males and females (0.832±0.194 vs 0.855±0.197, 67.9±10.9 vs 66.1±18.6, 7.2±12.9 vs 8.5±14.0, respectively; p > 0.05). However, females presented the higher severity of depressive symptoms measured by the PHQ-9 questionnaire (4.0±4.1 vs. 2.8±3.8; p<0.001). Conclusion It can be concluded that the independent predictors which significantly affect the high QoL scores on the EQ-5D scale were found to be female gender, age below 75, high or middle income, independence in daily life, a low number of comorbidities, lack of oral treatment needs.

Features of saliva diagnostics and threshold gustometry in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective — to determine the features of dental complaints and the threshold of taste sensitivity of the tongue receptors to glucose in patients with non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) against the background of insulin resistance. Materials and methods. The study included 65 patients (29 (44.6 %) women and 36 (55.4 %) men) with NAFLD (the main group) and 24 somatically healthy subjects. The mean body mass index was 36.4 kg/m2 in the main group, and 22.8 kg/m2 in the controls. All patients had insulin resistance (НОМА index — 8.0). Dental examinations included questionnaires of patients with complaints’ detailing, clinical examination of the oral cavity, study of salivation rate, determination of the sensitivity of the taste receptors of the tongue to glucose by the method of gustometry. Results. It has been established that the mostly frequent complaints of patients in the main group were constant dry mouth, taste distortion and halitosis. They demonstrated a decrease in salivation rate up to 0.24 ± 0.13 ml per minute, changes in the taste sensitivity of the tongue to sweet, that was several times higher than the threshold of the physiological norm. The strong direct correlation has been proved between oral dryness and salivation rate. Correlations of moderate strength were confirmed between the secretion rate and glucose concentration according to gustometry, and between taste distortion and halitosis. Conclusions. Almost 90 % of patients with non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease have typical dental complaints. Questioning patients on the main dental complaints, studying the parameters of the oral fluid and threshold gustometry are the modern, non‑invasive methods, enabling the control of the disease course and assessment of the treatment efficacy.

A primer Sjögren-szindróma pszichológiai vonatkozásai

Összefoglaló. A primer Sjögren-szindróma (pSS) krónikus autoimmun betegség, melynek elsődleges tünetei az exokrin mirigyeket érintő autoimmun folyamat következtében létrejövő szem- és szájszárazság, szisztémás manifesztációi között pedig a leggyakoribbak a szellemi és fizikai fáradtság és az ízületi fájdalmak. A betegség lélektani vonatkozásait nagy érdeklődés övezi; közleményünk a vonatkozó kutatási eredményeket foglalja össze a hátterükben húzódó pszichoneuroimmunmodulációs háttér rövid bemutatásával. A pSS pszichológiai tényezői közt a legrégebben vizsgáltak a depresszió és a szorongás. Ezek jelentős hatással vannak a betegek életminőségére, jóllétére, kognitív funkcióira, sőt a betegség aktivitására is. Bemutatjuk továbbá a stressz és a megküzdési stratégiák jellegzetes mintázatait pSS-ben, amelyek közt a betegségre jellemző maladaptív stratégiák a legjelentősebbek a patogenezis megértése és a kezelés szempontjából. Ilyenek a tagadás, a hasítás és a helyettesítés. Kitérünk a Sjögren-szindrómát kísérő személyiségjellemzőkre is, amely ígéretes terület, de kevés adat áll rendelkezésünkre; az eddigi vizsgálatok alapján a neuroticismus a leginkább pSS-re jellemző tényező. A kognitív funkciók érintettségének összefoglalása és az egyéb pszichológiai tényezők (szellemi fáradtság, szexualitás, testképzavar, életminőség) összegzése után egyértelműen levonható a következtetés, hogy a Sjögren-szindróma nemcsak biológiai, hanem pszichés, pszichoszociális és szociális jelenségszinteken is okoz zavarokat, tüneteket. Ezért rendkívül fontos a betegség biopszichoszociális szemléletű kezelése, a betegek aktív, intencionális részvétele a pSS-sel való megküzdésben. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(39): 1558–1566. Summary. Primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) is a chronic, autoimmune disorder. Primary symptoms are ocular and oral dryness as a of an autoimmune process affecting the exocrine glands. The most common systemic manifestations of the disease are mental and physical fatigue and arthralgia. Psychological features of pSS are studied with great interest; the present publication reviews the results of the related investigations alongside with the possible psychoneuroimmunomodulatory background. Among psychological factors in pSS, depression and anxiety have been studied the longest. These impact significantly the quality of life, wellbeing, cognitive functions and disease activity of the patients. Afterwards, we introduce the characteristic patterns of stress and coping mechanisms in pSS, among which maladaptive strategies, typical for the disorder are the most important regarding the pathogenesis and the therapy. These pSS-linked maladaptive strategies are denial, disengagement and focus and venting of emotions. As next, we give a summary about personality characteristics in pSS, which is a promising field to study, and yet very few related data are available; based on them, neuroticism seems to be the most common personality factor in Sjögren’s. After summarizing briefly cognitive functions and other psychological features (mental fatigue, sexuality, body image disturbance and quality of life), it is evident that pSS is determined not only by biological but also by psychological, psychosocial and social disturbances. Hence, treating pSS patients with a biopsychosocial perspective is crucial and so is the active and intentional participation of patients in their recovery. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(39): 1558–1566.