Oral health in patients with systemic sclerosisAn aspect of secondary importance in the life of the patients?This editorial refers to The Canadian systemic sclerosis oral health study: orofacial manifestations and oral health-related quality of life in systemic sclerosis compared with the general population, by M. Baron et al., pages 138694.

Introduction. The novel coronavirus pandemic makes the issue of iron deficiency in pregnancy even more urgent and forces multidisciplinary clinicians to search for modern ways to correct disorders caused by this infection.Objective. To assess the features of the course of post-covid anemia associated with combination therapy, as well as the effect of therapy on the dental health status in pregnant women.Materials and methods. 30 pregnant women (treatment group 1) in the third trimester who had coronavirus infection with mild IDA during gestation were enrolled in the prospective study. Comparison group 2: included 15 patients with mild IDA who did not have coronavirus infection during gestation. Control group 3: included 15 conditionally healthy pregnant women without IDA who did not have a novel coronavirus infection during gestation.Results. Pregnant women who had COVID-19 during gestation were significantly more likely to suffer from gum bleeding, angular cheilitis, oral erosive and ulcerative lesions. Gum bleeding was significantly more common in pregnant women with IDA against the background of coronavirus infection, than in the women in the comparison and control groups (SBI index, p < 0.05). The decrease in the normal microflora suggests the presence of dysbiotic changes in all pregnant women against the background of IDA, however, the patients after the COVID-19 infection had the most significant changes in it.Conclusions. The novel coronavirus infection, which the women had during gestation, aggravates the course of IDA, reduces the quality of life of patients with characteristic complaints (gum bleeding, angular cheilitis, oral erosive and ulcerative lesions), leads to dysbiotic oral microbiome changes. The management of this group of patients requires a systemic correction of the microflora balance, the introduction of individual oral hygiene regimens and adequate treatment of IDA using high-technology medicinal products

This article evaluates the composition of the oral microflora in patients with systemic scleroderma.

Systemic scleroderma is a multisystem autoimmune disorder characterized by widespread fibrosis, vascular alterations and inflammation. Systemic scleroderma mainly affects people in age from 30 to 50 years, but the onset of disease can occur in any age. Oral hygiene details in these patients are still poorly known, that is why more researches should be made to improve dental prevention measures. In the study, the hygienic status of 80 patients with systemic scleroderma was determined. The level of hygiene was determined using the Green Vermilion Index (OHI-S). The assessment was carried out before the individual oral hygiene correction and a week after. Results: in group 1 (patients from 30 to 44 years) before the individual hygiene correction, the average value of the index was 3.31, after correction (after 7 days) - 2.32, in the 2nd group (patients from 45 to 65 years) - 5.6, after training - 3.56. Correction of the hygienic status of these patients leads to a dental health improvemant, therefore great attention should be paid to oral hygiene.

The aim of the study was to investigate the morphological differences of the minor salivary glands in patients with secondary Sjögren's syndrome associated with systemic scleroderma (Scl-SS). Total of 40 patients were grouped according to the American–European Consensus Group criteria. Information about the duration of the disease was taken from the patients records. Sections of the minor salivary gland biopsy were reevaluated, and the lymphocyte focus score (FS), plasma cell focus, and fibrosis rates were all evaluated. The groups were formed according to the duration of the disease: less than and over 5 years.Results. Scl-SS leads to changes in both in the large salivary glands and in the MSG, manifested in the form of mucoid swelling, fibrinoid changes, hyalinosis and sclerosis. In patients with Scl-SS the progression of the process leads to the destruction of the duct wall and to the focal and diffuse lymphoid infiltration.