[The Saxon test for objective assessment of xerostomia. A contribution to the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome].

In 100 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in a control group of 100 test persons with healthy joints who were exactly equal concerning age and sex with the help of a simple method (back-weighing of a sponge after defined retention time in the oral cavity) the secretion of the saliva was measured. According to the test variant in 9-10 patients and 0-1 controls, respectively, pathologic values were found. In comparison to other symptoms which are characteristic for the presence of a Sjogren syndrome, an average sensitivity and high specifity could be ascribed to the test for the evidence of a functional disturbance of the salivary glands.