DT U.S. Edition, November 2010, Vol. 5, No. 22

DENTAL TRIBUNE | November 2010 Industry Meeting Review 13A from the point of view of the patient, whose quality of life can be affect- ed because of reduced sleep and impaired eating function. Next to speak was Dr. Jackie Brown, specialist in oral and max- illofacial radiology. She is a con- sultant in dental and maxillofacial radiology at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals Foundation Trust, and is senior lecturer at King’s College London Dental Institute of Guy’s, King’s College and St. Thomas’ Hos- pitals and at the Eastman Dental Institute. Brown’s presentation, “Contem- porary imaging in salivary gland disease diagnosis,” looked at the role of imaging in the distinguishing and identifying of diseases affecting the salivary glands. She discussed the various imaging equipment available, including ultrasound and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), and their advantages and disadvantages. Then it was the turn of Prof. Gor- don Proctor, professor of salivary biology, head of salivary research unit, department of clinical diagnos- tic sciences, King’s College London Dental Institute. He discussed “Drug related hyposalivation: a review of physiology and sites of drug action.” Proctor highlighted the relation- ship between drug therapy and sali- vary flow rates. He discussed the findings from various studies look- ing at this relationship, including one specific paper by Wolff et al., “Major salivary gland output dif- fers between users and non-users of specific medication categories” (published in Gerodontology in Feb. 2008). Speaking just before the cof- fee break was Prof. Jennifer Web- ster-Cyriaque, associate professor, departments of dental ecology and microbiology and immunology, Uni- versity of North Carolina Chapel Hill Schools of Dentistry and Medicine. Her presentation, “Viral infec- tions of salivary glands resulting in hyposalivation,” took a look at vari- ous viral infections that can affect saliva production, including HIV, herpes and polyomaviruses includ- ing BKV. One of the main chal- lenges, said Webster-Cyriaque, is determining how viruses get into and infect the salivary cells. Following the coffee break, where there was a chance to net- work and discuss the morning’s presentations, came Prof. Roland Jonsson, vice-chairman of the Gade Institute at the University of Bergen. His lecture dealt with “Immunopa- thology resulting in hyposalivation.” He mainly focused on Sjögren’s Syn- drome, stating that it is a condition that is not easy to diagnose in its early stages. He stressed that biopsies are very important for diagnosis and under- standing the pathogenesis of the condition. Detailing various studies, Jonsson hypothesised that it might be a virus that triggers the inflam- mation. Again focusing on Sjögren’s Syn- drome, Dr. Elizabeth Price then fol- lowed Jonsson’s presentation with “Systemic disease associations of hyposalivation.” Price has a special- ist interest in Sjögren’s Syndrome and runs a specialist Sjögren’s clin- ic at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. She discussed the condition in more detail and highlighted that along with dry eyes and mouth, tiredness and fatigue are also com- mon symptoms. She also discussed the condition’s association with thy- roid disease and osteoarthritis. Next, Prof. Sue Lightman, Medi- cal Research Council senior clini- cal fellow and senior lecturer at the Institute of Ophthalmology and consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, looked at “Ocular associations of AD hyposalivation.” She detailed how quickly dry eyes can occur and how conditions such as Sjögren’s Syn- drome are initiated. The final speaker of the session was Dr. Philip Fox, visiting scientist at the department of oral medi- cine, Carolinas Medical Center, in Charlotte, N.C., and an independent biomedical consultant focusing pri- marily in the area of clinical trial design and analysis. This was the part of the session where it took a more practical turn as it focused on the treatment of patients suffering with xerostomia. The first thing clinicians have to remember, Fox said, is at the end of the day we have to treat patients. One thing clinicians can do is encourage patients to chew and stimulate the masticatory function. Fox also looked at other different ways of trying to manage xerosto- mia, including different formula- tions such as Biotene produced as gels, gums and mouth rinses. He concluded by saying that one of the most important issues a clini- cian can consider is the patients and what makes the mouth feel moist and comfortable for them. This session was a very detailed look at some of the causes of xero- stomia and hyposalivation and allowed delegates to get a better understanding of how these condi- tions affect salivary flow; as well as get an update in the thinking behind many of the products clini- cians can recommend to patients for relief. DT