Clinical profile and oral manifestations of the sicca syndrome: A cross-sectional study
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24 mars 2026Authors: Sahar Kadri, Nour Ben Messaoud, Ghada Bouslama, Lamia Oualha, Souha Ben youssef.
Abstract
Background: The sicca syndrome often causes significant functional discomfort which leads the patient to consult. It is manifested through a set of symptoms and clinical manifestations resulting from a decrease in secretions of exocrine glands, especially salivary and lachrymal ones. It is considered to be the first sign of Sjogren’s syndrome, a systemic auto-immune disease that may be primary, i.e., isolated, or secondary, i.e., associated with another autoimmune disease. Due to the complexity of its diagnosis and the risk of developing lymphoma, Gougerot-Sjogren’s syndrome has a considerable therapeutic difficulty. Sicca syndrome can also occur outside the Sjogren’s syndrome.
The aim behind our work is to study the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and evolutionary characteristics of this pathology through a series of cases and to compare them with those in literature.
Methods: It is a retrospective study over 8 years (from 2012 to 2019) of 40 sialadenitis cases collected at the dental department.
Results: For the 40 cases studied, the sex ratio was 3/1 and the average age was 65 years. The most common reason for consultation was dry mouth Sjogren’s syndrome was diagnosed in 35% of the cases. Biopsy of accessory salivary glands was the key complementary examination. A variety of associated pathologies and medical treatments were noted. The treatment consisted mainly in the oral cavity management and xerostomia treatment. A strong interdisciplinary collaboration was implemented. Malignant transformation was not reported for any patient.
Conclusions: This study has focused on the diagnostic approach when suspecting Sjogren’s syndrome, which contributes to improving this disease understanding for a better management.
Keywords: Autoimmune diseases, Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, Salivary gland diseases, Sicca syndrome, Sjogren syndrome, Xerostomia.
