{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T03:17:10Z","timestamp":1776309430406,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]],"date-time":"2025-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756252800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the salivary glands and increases the risk of developing dental diseases (DDs). Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) represent a promising alternative strategy for SS treatment; however, the association between CHMs and DD risk has not been confirmed. In this retrospective, cohort-based, nested case-control study, we explored whether or not combining CHMs with routine treatments for SS can reduce the chance of DDs. Materials and Methods: In the beginning, we recruited subjects aged 20\u201380 years with newly diagnosed SS who were free of DDs between 2001 and 2009 from a nationwide insurance database. We identified DD events that occurred after SS diagnosis until 31 December, 2013. Corresponding controls were randomly selected from the remaining enrollees using a pair-matched approach. We then exploited conditional logistic regression to explore the association between CHM use and subsequent risk of DD development. Results: Based on the recruited 586 DD cases and 586 non-DD controls, we noted that adding CHMs to routine SS treatment substantially correlated with a lower risk of developing DDs (adjusted odds ratio = 0.68; 95% confidence interval = 0.52\u20130.90). Notably, for those receiving CHM treatment for more than 365 days, CHM use greatly reduced DD susceptibility, by 44%. Conclusions: Embedding CHMs within routine SS care can prevent subsequent DDs incidence, implying the urgent need for interdisciplinary collaboration and careful treatment planning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61091537","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]],"date-time":"2025-08-27T09:58:32Z","timestamp":1756288712000},"page":"1537","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The Addition of Chinese Herbal Medicines Is Effective as a Prophylactic Treatment Against Dental Diseases for Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome Patients: Insight from Real-World Database"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"given":"Ching-Ya","family":"Juan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Chiayi 62247, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wei-Jen","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Sports Medicine, Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Chiayi 62247, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan"},{"name":"Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan 33325, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5149-1717","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hanoch","family":"Livneh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitation Counseling Program, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9051-0351","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ming-Chi","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan"},{"name":"Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Dalin Township, Chiayi 62247, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9865-7101","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tzung-Yi","family":"Tsai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Research, Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Chiayi 62247, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70428, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1002\/acr.21820","article-title":"Prevalence and incidence in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan","volume":"65","author":"Yu","year":"2013","journal-title":"Arthritis Care Res."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(05)66990-5","article-title":"Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome","volume":"366","author":"Fox","year":"2005","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"931","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMcp1702514","article-title":"Primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome","volume":"378","author":"Mariette","year":"2018","journal-title":"N. 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