Salivary Gland Hypofunction
Also written as: SGH — Salivary Gland Hypofunction
A measurable reduction in salivary output from one or more salivary glands, which may or may not be symptomatic as xerostomia.
Full Definition
Salivary gland hypofunction (SGH) is an objective clinical finding defined by specific thresholds of reduced salivary flow, typically whole unstimulated flow below 0.1 mL/min or whole stimulated flow below 0.5 mL/min. It is caused by irradiation, Sjögren's syndrome, drug side-effects, gland aplasia, or systemic disease. Critically for editors, SGH (objective reduction) and xerostomia (subjective sensation of dry mouth) are not synonymous: a patient may have reduced flow without complaint, or may complain of dryness with normal flow. Both terms appear frequently in oral medicine literature and require precise differentiation. The abbreviation SGH should be defined at first use.
Usage
Usage note: Always distinguish 'salivary gland hypofunction' (objective, measured) from 'xerostomia' (subjective, reported). Manuscripts that conflate these terms should be queried.
In Context
- "Salivary gland hypofunction was confirmed by sialometry; however, the patient denied subjective dry mouth." — Oral medicine case note
- "The systematic review used 'xerostomia' and 'salivary gland hypofunction' interchangeably, which the editor flagged as a methodological inconsistency." — Systematic review editorial query