Seven Years Follow-up of a Patient with Sjögren's Syndrome Treated with Implant-supported Fixed Prostheses

Abstract

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a complex autoimmune disease that predominantly affects the exocrine glands, notably the salivary and lacrimal glands, resulting in dryness of the mucosa recognized as xerostomia. Chief oral complications reported by patients consist of high caries rate, burning sensation of the mucosa, early tooth loss, intensified tooth wear and repetitive failure of dental restorations. In particular, due to the decreased salivary flow, conventional removable prostheses might irritate the mucosa and lead to painful ulcerations at the borders of the denture. Implant-supported prostheses offer a unique solution to the difficulties experienced by edentulous patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. This report and review of the literature discuss a 46-year-old female patient with undiagnosed Sjogren's syndrome successfully treated with dental implants and followed for 7 years.