164 Chapter 8 dryness of the posterior palate as most severe, while the floor of the mouth and the inside cheeks were experienced as less dry. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to investigate possible associations between the use of dry-mouth interventions and the perceived oral dryness, both overall and regional, of Sjögren’s syndrome patients. We anticipate that this information will contribute in developing more tailored advice about dry-mouth intervention(s) for Sjögren’s syndrome patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD Study design A cross-sectional study was performed among Sjögren’s syndrome patients who visited the annual meeting of the Dutch Sjögren Patients Federation on October 5th, 2019 (Dutch: Nederlandse Vereniging van Sjögren Patiënten). Volunteers could anonymously fill in the questionnaire described below and return it in a designated mailbox during the meeting or return the questionnaire by mail using an enclosed prepaid envelope. The local Ethics Review Committee of the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) confirmed that the Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act (WMO) did not apply to this study (protocol number 201930). The reporting of this study conforms to the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement [10]. Study variables The questionnaire, developed for this study, consisted of five parts. First, some general questions with regard to age, sex and year in which Sjögren’s syndrome had been diagnosed by a physician. Second, the Regional Oral Dryness Inventory (RODI) questionnaire was used to determine differences in dry-mouth perception at different intra-oral locations. The RODI questionnaire contains nine schematic illustrations of different locations in the oral cavity [8, 9]. Four illustrations represent areas in the upper jaw: the upper lip, the posterior part of the palate (from the rugae up to the end of the soft palate), the anterior part of the palate (including the rugae) and the inside part of the cheeks. Four other illustrations represent areas in the lower jaw: the lower lip, the anterior part of the tongue (from the tip of the tongue up to the vallate papilla), the posterior part of the tongue (from the vallate papilla up to end of the tongue) and the floor of the mouth. Finally, one illustration represents the pharynx. At each location, the patient can indicate
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