Thyrotropin receptor antibodies in parotid saliva

Salivary Alterations in Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases: A Systematic Review

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is a dysregulation of the immune system that causes an attack on the thyroid gland. Two major clinical manifestations are Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease. Saliva performs many functions and, importantly, has the potential for easy, non-invasive diagnostics of several systemic disorders. This systematic review was designed to answer the question whether salivary alterations are reliable for the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, fifteen studies were included. Due to their heterogeneity, saliva analysis was divided into two subgroups: quantitative assessment analysing salivation and qualitative assessment concerning potential salivary biomarkers for AITD. In addition to detecting altered levels of thyroid hormones and antibodies, salivary changes were also observed in the concentrations of total protein, cytokines and chemokines, as well as markers of oxidative status. According to the saliva flow rate values, significantly reduced saliva secretion was observed in patients with HT. In conclusion, it is not possible to unequivocally state if salivary biomarkers can potentially be used in autoimmune thyroid disease diagnosis. Therefore, further investigations, including salivation disorders, are necessary to validate these findings.

Assessing the association between unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR) and oral health status among healthy adult subjects: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to test the association between the unstimulated whole salivary flow rate (UWSFR) and the oral health status represented by dental and gingival status among healthy adult subjects.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This work was a cross-sectional study of patients attending the undergraduate dental clinics at AlFarabi College for Dentistry and Nursing, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study population consisted of 502 systemically healthy adults aged 18-35 years. UWSFR was collected for all study participants and expressed as ml/min. Oral health status was estimated using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S). The number of decayed teeth and the number of available teeth were also calculated to evaluate dental status.

RESULTS

The mean UWSFR was 0.42 (±0.3) ml/min, and the male participants significantly had more UWSFR than the females. UWSFR was significantly affected by CPI, OHI-S, body mass index (BMI) and gender as indicated in the univariate analysis. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that only gender was a significant predictor of UWSFR. The male subjects were shown to have a higher average of 0.133 ml/min than the females.

CONCLUSIONS

High BMI scores, moderate-to-severe gingivitis and low level of oral hygiene increased UWSFR. However, further longitudinal studies are recommended to test the role of salivary cytokine levels to validate the exact association between the UWSFR and the oral health status.

Neonatal hyperthyroidism associated with isolated submandibular sialadenitis: is it just a coincidence?

Isolated submandibular sialadenitis is extremely rare in the neonatal period. All reported cases had predisposing factors such as prematurity, dehydration, anatomic deformities, calculi, and long-term oro-gastric tube feeding. Here, we present a case of neonatal isolated submandibular sialadenitis without any known risk factors and who was diagnosed later with hyperthyroidism secondary to maternal Graves' disease. Both sialadenitis and hyperthyroidism resolved with appropriate treatment. While both conditions are rare and important in neonatal emergency care, the possibility of neonatal hyperthyroidism should be explored in cases with isolated sialadenitis if there is no other risk factor. Possible mechanisms for this uncommon association are discussed.