Oral parameters in the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.

Xerostomia is the main oral symptom and clinical sign in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) but there are many other causes of a dry mouth. Salivary gland enlargement is a further feature but may be episodic. Xerostomia is a subjective symptom which can be non-invasively assessed by sialometry but this is too variable, insensitive and non-specific to be diagnostic of SS.

How community pharmacy staff manage a patient with possible oral cancer.

Community pharmacy staff were surveyed for the advice they would offer to a patient with a history highly suggestive of oral carcinoma. Less than 10% of 57 pharmacies indicated that a dental or medical opinion should be sought. This study confirms that the knowledge of pharmacy staff about oral disease is as limited as it is about systemic disease and suggests that a dental or medical consultation is necessary for persisting complaints.

Cross-infection control: attitudes of patients toward the wearing of gloves and masks by dentists in the United Kingdom in 1987.

Dental patients in the United Kingdom were surveyed in February 1987 with respect to their views on whether dentists should wear gloves and/or masks. Most patients believed that gloves should be worn and few saw no need for either. Patients receiving care in a dental hospital were more enthusiastic than those seen in general practice in the belief that dentists should wear gloves and/or a mask.

The microbiology and management of acute dentoalveolar abscess: views of British oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

Improvements in microbiological technology have established a major role for anaerobes including Gram-positive anaerobes such as peptococci and peptostreptococci and Gram-negative anaerobes such as bacteroides and fusobacteria species in acute dentoalveolar abscesses. Organisms isolated increasingly may be, or may become, resistant to penicillin or erythromycin but metronidazole appears effective against many. These facts have implications for treatment when antimicrobials are indicated.

Viruses and salivary gland disease: are there associations?

Viruses can cause sialadenitis and may be associated with other diseases of salivary glands, particularly immunologically mediated and neoplastic lesions. The evidence that such an association with Sjögren's syndrome is causal is reviewed here and shown to be fairly tenuous at present.

Hematologic status in recurrent aphthous stomatitis compared with other oral disease.

The hematologic status of 144 consecutive patients in the United Kingdom with oral disease (69 with recurrent aphthous stomatitis; 75 with other disorders) was examined in an attempt to resolve the controversy as to whether levels of hemoglobin, blood cell numbers and indices, and blood film are adequate in the screening of patients with aphthae. Though hemoglobin levels and red blood cell indices were normal in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis, there was still a small minority of patients with deficiencies of iron (low serum ferritin), folate (low red blood cell levels), or vitamin B12 (low serum levels) that would have remained undetected. Full hematologic screening of patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis thus reveals latent deficiency states, at least in some parts of the world, and there are good reasons for elucidating the underlying cause and correcting these deficiencies, particularly vitamin B12 deficiency.

Female victims of assault. A study of hospital attenders.

During the first six months of 1986, 294 consecutive victims of assault were examined to determine the patterns of injury. Forty-three victims were women aged 15-46 years (mean: 25 years). In comparison with the hospital catchment population, the unemployed were over-represented and the greater than 40 age range under-represented.

Mucous membrane pemphigoid: an elusive diagnosis?

Vesiculobullous diseases, including mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), are uncommon. This study was a retrospective examination of the clinical findings, histopathologic findings, and lesional immunostaining with respect to 76 consecutive patients referred to the Department of Oral Medicine, Surgery and Pathology, Bristol Dental Hospital and School, between 1982 and 1985 with a potential diagnosis of MMP. Of these, 42 patients were assigned alternative clinical diagnoses, 71% of which were confirmed by immunostaining and histology.

Papillomaviruses: the current status in relation to oral disease.

Human papillomaviruses of different types are associated with a variety of benign oral lesions and may be associated with some premalignant and malignant oral lesions. However, since it is now clear that a variant of human papillomavirus 16 is harbored by normal oral mucosa, as well as by premalignant and malignant lesions, such associations may not necessarily always be causal. The rapid progress of recent research in this field is reviewed, with particular reference to oral disease, and the current status is discussed.

Angina bullosa haemorrhagica: lesional immunostaining and haematological findings.

The aetiology of angina bullosa haemorrhagica remains obscure. Fourteen patients with clinical features suggestive of angina bullosa haemorrhagica were investigated. Haemostatic function tests were carried out on an initial 5 patients and immunostain studies on a total of 12 patients.