Evaluation of major salivary glands with ultrasonography in multiple sclerosis patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the homogeneity of the major salivary glands in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using ultrasonography (USG), assess DMFT indices, measure resting salivary flow rates, and compare these values with healthy individuals. METHODS: In this study, 20 individuals diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) (mean age 36.15 ± 8.51) and 20 systemically healthy individuals (mean age 35.7 ± 9.22) were included. Oral and radiologic examinations were performed in all individuals. The parotid and submandibular salivary glands were examined using USG, and their homogeneity was assessed based on the scoring system recommended by the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) study group. Resting salivary flow rates and DMFT indices were measured, and the obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis. RESULTS: The parotid glands exhibited more heterogeneity on USG within the MS patient group than the control group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.015). A statistically significant correlation was observed in total homogeneity values between the patient and control groups (p = 0.021). Furthermore, the MS patient group exhibited higher DMFT indices and lower salivary flow rates than the control group. The difference between the DMFT indices and salivary flow rate between the patient groups was statistically significant (p = 0.004 and p = 0.002 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The parenchyma of the major salivary glands in MS patients exhibited decreased homogeneity than the healthy controls. Additionally, the MS group showed a decrease in salivary flow rate and an increase in the DMFT index. Autonomic dysfunction and medications used for MS are thought to cause salivary gland hypofunction and dry mouth. It can be interpreted that hyposalivation and motor skill losses in MS patients lead to an increase in DMFT index.

Radiographic Detection of the Relationship between Tonsilloliths and Dental Plaque-Related Pathologies in a Series of Digital Panoramic Radiographs.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyse the prevalence of tonsilloliths and to determine radiographically whether there is a relationship between tonsilloliths and dental plaque-related pathologies in a series of digital panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included digital panoramic radiographs of 859 patients admitted for routine dental examination. The panoramic images were examined for both the presence of tonsilloliths and the number of decayed, missing, restored teeth and apical periodontitis. Periodontal bone loss was also measured in thirds of optimal bone height according to the root length and a percentage of bone loss was obtained for each panoramic radiograph evaluated. RESULTS: Tonsilloliths were observed in 141 (16.4%) of all individuals. While there was no significant difference regarding the number of decayed teeth and restored teeth between tonsillolith cases (TT) and cases without tonsillolith (TC), the number of missing teeth and apical periodontitis in TT was significantly higher than TC (p: 0.004, p: 0.030, respectively). There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of the mean percentage of bone loss (p: 0.001; p < 0.05). In addition, cases showing bone loss between one-third and two-thirds of the optimal bone height in the TT group (52.5%) were significantly higher than those in TC (45.5%) (p: 0.035; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The relationship between dental plaque-related pathologies and tonsilloliths observed in this retrospective study should be confirmed by computed tomography studies and randomized, prospective, clinical trials conducted in a multidisciplinary manner.