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Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the awareness among United States (US) oncologists about oral medicine (OM) as a specialty of dentistry, and their collaboration with OM providers., Methods: An online survey was conducted, inviting 1350 US oncologists, with data collected on demographics, practice background, comfort level with diagnosing and treating oral conditions, referral practices for oral conditions, and more., Results: Of the invited 1350 oncologists, 192 responded (14% response rate). Among respondents, 46% were familiar with the OM specialty. Of these, 73% had previously sought consultation from OM specialists. The primary reasons for referral included dental clearance before initiating chemotherapy (38.5%), dental clearance before initiating radiotherapy (37%), and managing oral ulcers and oral potentially malignant disorders equally (32.2%). Regarding referrals to providers outside of OM, oncologists primarily referred patients with oral lesions to otolaryngologists (64.6%), followed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons (55.2%) and general dentists (45.3%)., Conclusion: Our study showed that over half of US oncologists were unfamiliar with the OM specialty. However, the referral rate to OM providers was high among oncologists who had prior OM knowledge. It is advisable to enhance the collaboration between OM and oncology specialists to ensure optimal care for patients with cancer., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine whether ocular phenotypic features of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) and/or participant-reported symptoms of dry eye disease are associated with depression in women participants enrolled in the Sjögren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA)., Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: Women enrolled in the SICCA registry from 9 international research sites. Participants met at least 1 of 5 inclusion criteria for registry enrollment (including complaints of dry eyes or dry mouth, a previous diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome (SS), abnormal serology (positive anti-Sjögren syndrome antigen A and/or B [anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB]), or elevated antinuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor), bilateral parotid gland enlargement, or multiple dental caries). At baseline, participants had oral, ocular, and rheumatologic examination; blood and saliva collection; and a labial salivary gland biopsy (LSGB). They also completed an interview and questionnaires including assessment of depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9). Univariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between depression and demographic characteristics, participant-reported health, phenotypic features of Sjögren syndrome, and participant-reported symptoms. Mixed-effects modeling was performed to determine if phenotypic features of KCS and/or participant-reported symptoms of dry eye disease were associated with depression, controlling for health, age, country or residence, and sex and allowing for nonindependence within geographic site., Results: Dry eye complaints produced a 1.82-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-2.40) higher odds of having depression compared to being symptom-free (P < .001). Additionally, complaints of specific ocular sensations were associated with a higher odds of depression including burning sensation (odds ratio 2.25, 95% CI 1.87-2.72, P < .001) compared to those without complaints. In both women with and without SS, the presence of symptoms of dry eyes and/or dry mouth rather than SS itself resulted in higher odds of depression. One particular ocular phenotypic feature of SS, a positive ocular staining score, was inversely correlated with depression., Conclusions: Participant-reported eye symptoms, particularly specific ocular sensations such as burning, were found to be positively associated with individual American College of Rheumatology/EUropean League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) SS criteria items., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore changes in the phenotypic features of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and in SS status among participants in the Sjögren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA) registry over a 2-3-year interval., Methods: All participants in the SICCA registry who were found to have any objective measures of salivary hypofunction, dry eye, focal lymphocytic sialadenitis in minor salivary gland biopsy, or anti-SSA/SSB antibodies were recalled over a window of 2 to 3 years after their baseline examinations to repeat all clinical examinations and specimen collections to determine whether there was any change in phenotypic features and in SS status., Results: As of September 15, 2013, a total of 3,514 participants had enrolled in SICCA, and among 3,310 eligible, 771 presented for a followup visit. Among participants found to have SS using the 2012 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria, 93% again met the criteria after 2 to 3 years, and this proportion was 89% when using the 2016 ACR/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria. Among those who did not meet ACR or ACR/EULAR criteria at baseline, 9% and 8%, respectively, had progressed and met them at followup. Those with hypergammaglobulinemia and hypocomplementemia at study entry were, respectively, 4 and 6 times more likely to progress to SS by ACR criteria than those without these characteristics (95% confidence interval 1.5-10.1 and 1.8-20.4, respectively)., Conclusion: While there was stability over a 2-3-year period of both individual phenotypic features of SS and of SS status, hypergammaglobulinemia and hypocomplementemia at study entry were predictive of progression to SS., (© 2017, American College of Rheumatology.)

Objective: To develop and validate an international set of classification criteria for primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) using guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). These criteria were developed for use in individuals with signs and/or symptoms suggestive of SS., Methods: We assigned preliminary importance weights to a consensus list of candidate criteria items, using multi-criteria decision analysis. We tested and adapted the resulting draft criteria using existing cohort data on primary SS cases and non-SS controls, with case/non-case status derived from expert clinical judgment. We then validated the performance of the classification criteria in a separate cohort of patients., Results: The final classification criteria are based on the weighted sum of 5 items: anti-SSA/Ro antibody positivity and focal lymphocytic sialadenitis with a focus score of ≥1 foci/4 mm 2 , each scoring 3; an abnormal ocular staining score of ≥5 (or van Bijsterveld score of ≥4), a Schirmer's test result of ≤5 mm/5 minutes, and an unstimulated salivary flow rate of ≤0.1 ml/minute, each scoring 1. Individuals with signs and/or symptoms suggestive of SS who have a total score of ≥4 for the above items meet the criteria for primary SS. Sensitivity and specificity against clinician-expert-derived case/non-case status in the final validation cohort were high, i.e., 96% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 92-98%) and 95% (95% CI 92-97%), respectively., Conclusion: Using methodology consistent with other recent ACR/EULAR-approved classification criteria, we developed a single set of data-driven consensus classification criteria for primary SS, which performed well in validation analyses and are well-suited as criteria for enrollment in clinical trials., (© 2016 The Authors. Arthritis & Rheumatology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.)

Objective: We propose new classification criteria for Sjögren's syndrome (SS), which are needed considering the emergence of biologic agents as potential treatments and their associated comorbidity. These criteria target individuals with signs/symptoms suggestive of SS., Methods: Criteria are based on expert opinion elicited using the nominal group technique and analyses of data from the Sjögren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance. Preliminary criteria validation included comparisons with classifications based on the American–European Consensus Group (AECG) criteria, a model-based “gold standard”obtained from latent class analysis (LCA) of data from a range of diagnostic tests, and a comparison with cases and controls collected from sources external to the population used for criteria development., Results: Validation results indicate high levels of sensitivity and specificity for the criteria. Case definition requires at least 2 of the following 3: 1) positive serum anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB or (positive rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibody titer >1:320), 2) ocular staining score >3, or 3) presence of focal lymphocytic sialadenitis with a focus score >1 focus/4 mm2 in labial salivary gland biopsy samples. Observed agreement with the AECG criteria is high when these are applied using all objective tests. However, AECG classification based on allowable substitutions of symptoms for objective tests results in poor agreement with the proposed and LCA-derived classifications., Conclusion: These classification criteria developed from registry data collected using standardized measures are based on objective tests. Validation indicates improved classification performance relative to existing alternatives, making them more suitable for application in situations where misclassification may present health risks., (Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.)

The Oral HIV/AIDS Research Alliance is part of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, the largest HIV clinical trial organization in the world, and it is funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The alliance's main objective is to investigate the oral complications associated with HIV/AIDS as the epidemic is evolving-in particular, the effects of potent antiretrovirals on the development of oral mucosal lesions and associated fungal and viral pathogens. Furthermore, oral fluids are being explored for their potential monitoring and diagnostic role with respect to HIV disease and coinfections. This article presents an overview of the alliance, its scientific agenda, and an outline of the novel interventional and noninterventional clinical studies ongoing and developing within the AIDS Clinical Trials Group infrastructure in the United States and internationally.

The Oral HIV/AIDS Research Alliance (OHARA) is part of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest HIV clinical trials organization in the world. Its main objective is to investigate oral complications associated with HIV/AIDS as the epidemic is evolving, in particular, the effects of antiretrovirals on oral mucosal lesion development and associated fungal and viral pathogens. The OHARA infrastructure comprises: the Epidemiologic Research Unit (at the University of California San Francisco), the Medical Mycology Unit (at Case Western Reserve University) and the Virology/Specimen Banking Unit (at the University of North Carolina). The team includes dentists, physicians, virologists, mycologists, immunologists, epidemiologists and statisticians. Observational studies and clinical trials are being implemented at ACTG-affiliated sites in the US and resource-poor countries. Many studies have shared end-points, which include oral diseases known to be associated with HIV/AIDS measured by trained and calibrated ACTG study nurses. In preparation for future protocols, we have updated existing diagnostic criteria of the oral manifestations of HIV published in 1992 and 1993. The proposed case definitions are designed to be used in large-scale epidemiologic studies and clinical trials, in both US and resource-poor settings, where diagnoses may be made by non-dental healthcare providers. The objective of this article is to present updated case definitions for HIV-related oral diseases that will be used to measure standardized clinical end-points in OHARA studies, and that can be used by any investigator outside of OHARA/ACTG conducting clinical research that pertains to these end-points.

Objectives: To explore distribution of stage at diagnosis and relative survival rates among US adults with oral cavity cancer in relation to race, and over time., Methods: We obtained 1973-2002 oral cancer incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, and computed proportions for each oral cavity site by stage at diagnosis, tumor size, and 5-year relative survival rates among Whites and Blacks., Results: A total of 46 855 cases of oral cavity cancer were reported to the SEER registry among adults > or =20 years between 1973 and 2002. African-Americans had a significantly higher proportion of cancer, mainly in the tongue, that had spread to a regional node or to a distant site at diagnosis than Whites: 67% versus 49% of tongue cancers reported from 1973 to 1987 (P < 0.001), and 70% versus 53% of those reported from 1988 to 2002 (P < 0.001). They had a significantly higher proportion of tongue cancer that were >4 cm in diameter at time of diagnosis (59% versus 44%; P < 0.001), and black men in particular experienced lower 5-year relative survival rates than white men, in particular, for tongue cancer (25% versus 43% from 1973 to 1987, and 31% versus 53% from 1988 to 2002)., Conclusion: There are significant racial disparities with respect to stage at diagnosis and survival among adults with oral cancer reported to the SEER registry from 1973 to 2002. One possible explanation for the lower survival among Blacks may be a difference in access to, and utilization of, healthcare services.

Background: An increasing incidence of oral carcinoma among young adults has been reported in the U.S. and Europe. Although the association between human papillomavirus infection and tonsillar carcinoma is now well established, to the authors' knowledge little is known about incidence trends in tonsillar carcinoma among younger adults. The objective of the current study was to explore the trends in both oral cavity and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in younger U.S. populations, in particular tongue and tonsillar SCC., Methods: Using the 1973-2001 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, we computed age, race, and site-specific trends of oral and pharyngeal (excluding nasopharynx) carcinoma incidence rates. The percent change (PC) and annual percent change (APC) were computed to explore trends in incidence rates over time., Results: There were 2262 SCC of the oral cavity and 1251 SCC of the pharynx reported to the SEER program from 1973 to 2001 in adults aged 20-44 years. There was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of oral tongue SCC (APC = +2.1; P < 0.001), base of tongue SCC (APC = +1.7; P = 0.04), and palatine tonsil SCC (APC = +3.9; P < 0.001) among younger white individuals, whereas the incidence of SCC in all other oral and pharyngeal sites decreased or remained constant., Conclusions: The increase in tonsil SCC incidence from 1973 to 2001 paralleled the increase in tongue SCC, whereas SCC in all other oral and pharyngeal sites remained constant or decreased. This may suggest similar etiologic factors for SCC affecting the palatine tonsils and tongue in younger populations., ((c) 2005 American Cancer Society.)

Objectives: To explore changes in demographic distribution, incidence and survival rates of oral cancer in the United States from 1973 through 1996., Methods: From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data, we computed the proportion of oral cancer by demographic characteristics, site, and stage at diagnosis for 1973-84 and 1985-96. We estimated incidence and 5-year relative survival rates of oral cancer by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, and compared survival rates between the two periods. The estimated annual percent change (EAPC) was used to explore trends in incidence rate from 1973 through 1996., Results: Most of the tongue and floor of mouth cancers (>54%) reported during 1973-84 and 1985-96 had spread to a distant site at time of diagnosis. The age-adjusted annual incidence rates of oral cancer decreased among white men from 1973 through 1996, but increased among black men aged 65-69 years, and among young white men (aged 30-34 years) and women (aged 25-29 years). These changes in trend were all statistically significant (testing EAPC=0 at the 0.05 level). Overall, there was no improvement in the 5-year relative survival rate of either whites or blacks with oral cancer., Conclusion: There was little change in early detection of oral cancer or in 5-year relative survival rates between 1973-84 and 1985-96 in nine SEER regions. This suggests a deficiency in professional and public education regarding early diagnosis of oral cancer. Furthermore, the increasing trend of oral cancer among older black men and among younger whites merits further investigation.

Objective: (1) To assess the extent of knowledge acquired since 1981 on the epidemiology of HIV-related oral manifestations in women; (2) to determine if these findings differ by gender; and (3) to assess the needs and direction for future epidemiologic research on oral disease and HIV infection in women in relation to men., Data Identification: A computer-assisted search was conducted to identify epidemiologic studies reporting the frequency of various oral conditions in HIV-infected women. Studies on periodontal disease as manifestation of HIV infection were not included., Data Extraction: Methods used in the retrieved articles were reviewed with respect to target population, study design, sampling scheme, outcomes, measurements and statistical issues. Results were summarized in relation to oral findings in HIV-infected men., Results of Data Synthesis: Most studies were prospective, and sample selection was non-random. Studies differed with respect to geographic location, risk category for HIV transmission, and stage of HIV disease. Despite these differences, oral lesions were found in at least 15% of HIV-infected women, and the most common oral lesion in all studies was candidiasis. Women differed from men with respect to the prevalence of hairy leukoplakia and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) both of which were significantly less common in women., Conclusion: Future epidemiologic studies should be directed at identifying cofactors involved in addition to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the development of hairy leukoplakia, and in addition to KS herpes virus (KSHV) in the occurrence of KS.