The Addition of Chinese Herbal Medicines Is Effective as a Prophylactic Treatment Against Dental Diseases for Sjögren's Syndrome Patients: Insight from Real-World Database.

Background and

Objectives

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the salivary glands and increases the risk of developing dental diseases (DDs). Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) represent a promising alternative strategy for SS treatment; however, the association between CHMs and DD risk has not been confirmed. In this retrospective, cohort-based, nested case-control study, we explored whether or not combining CHMs with routine treatments for SS can reduce the chance of DDs. Materials and

Methods

In the beginning, we recruited subjects aged 20-80 years with newly diagnosed SS who were free of DDs between 2001 and 2009 from a nationwide insurance database. We identified DD events that occurred after SS diagnosis until 31 December, 2013. Corresponding controls were randomly selected from the remaining enrollees using a pair-matched approach. We then exploited conditional logistic regression to explore the association between CHM use and subsequent risk of DD development.

Results

Based on the recruited 586 DD cases and 586 non-DD controls, we noted that adding CHMs to routine SS treatment substantially correlated with a lower risk of developing DDs (adjusted odds ratio = 0.68; 95% confidence interval = 0.52-0.90). Notably, for those receiving CHM treatment for more than 365 days, CHM use greatly reduced DD susceptibility, by 44%.

Conclusions

Embedding CHMs within routine SS care can prevent subsequent DDs incidence, implying the urgent need for interdisciplinary collaboration and careful treatment planning.