Resumen

LIQUIDATO, Bianca Maria et al. Minor Salivary Glands Morphology in Xerostomia Patients. Int. J. Morphol. [online]. 2006, vol.24, n.3, pp.489-493. ISSN 0717-9502.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-95022006000400031.

The minor salivary glands are found scattered throughout the oral mucosa, especially in the lips and soft palate mucosa. Several factors can cause xerostomia, whereas the salivary glands histological characteristics are also considered as factors for defining the etiology. Thus, the minor salivary glands biopsy represents an essential tool for attending the required diagnosis criterion in the classification of Sjögren's Syndrome patients, since it does not present risk for the patient. The objective of this study is to determine the histological description of the minor salivary glands obtained from the biopsies of xerostomia patients and to classify the minor salivary gland histological aspect as the Sjögren's Syndrome. Forty laminas of xerostomia patients that were submitted to minor salivary glands biopsy at the Santa Casa de Sao Paulo Stomatology ambulatory were retrospectively studied. The variation in the glands histological aspect was observed, from the normality up to the presence of inflammatory focus, replacing the conjunctive between acini and ducts, as well as the parenchyma. In 15 cases, the infiltrated inflammatory cells amounted to focus, that is to say, groups of at least 50 inflammatory cells around the acini or ducts, which is a characteristic aspect of the Sjögren's Syndrome. Therefore, the finding of at least one inflammatory focus of 4 mm² of glandular tissue represents a set criterion, although, not the only one in order to classify this patient as having the Sjögren's Syndrome

Palabras clave : Sjögren's syndrome; Xerostomia; Salivary glands; Saliva; Diagnosis.

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