SSF Testifies about Oral Health
The Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation submitted written comments and member Kim Vaughn testified in two responses to a "Call to Action" issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a national oral health plan.
The written testimony expressed the SSF’s agreement with the Surgeon General’s statement that "all Americans can benefit from the development of a National Oral Health Plan," and we pledged our support to helping make this a reality. Although we agree with most of the major findings of the May 2000 "Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General," we took exception to the statement that "safe and effective measures exist to prevent the most common dental diseases - dental caries and periodontal diseases." While this may be true for the general population, it is not the case for people with Sjögren’s, one of the most common autoimmune diseases."
The SSF’s written comments encouraged the federal government to fund a registry of Sjögren’s patients and multi-center studies of the diagnostic criteria as well as diagnostic markers for disease susceptibility. We pledged our help with two of the seven action elements proposed by HHS: 1) to change perceptions regarding oral health and disease so that oral health becomes an accepted component of general health, and 2) to strengthen and expand oral health research and education capacity.
Kim’s oral presentation centered on this last point. She emphasized that research is desperately needed because "this disease was named over a hundred years ago, yet the first drugs developed for Sjögren’s only came onto the market recently. These help increase the flow of saliva, but we need to learn so much more so we can treat the cause." Kim also explained that "too many oral health specialists are unaware of Sjögren’s syndrome, lack the knowledge to treat patients properly, and do not seem to understand the connection between oral health and overall health. Many dentists miss the opportunity to diagnose Sjögren’s patients and provide early treatment."
Vaughn closed with: "The Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation is doing its part to educate doctors, support patients, and encourage research. We extend our offer in partnership with Health & Human Services to improve research and education opportunities for the many Americans who suffer from Sjögren’s syndrome. In addition to needed research in basic science and clinical studies, we encourage allocation of federal resources for two key areas:
- Creation of a registry of Sjögren’s syndrome patients, so we can learn from the genetic and natural history information that would be gathered
- Funding of a multi-center study of diagnostic criteria. The SSF has developed the first set of internationally-agreed-upon criteria for Sjögren’s syndrome. Now it needs to be tested. Without a standard for Sjögren’s, research cannot move forward."
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