A swallowable spy pill could unlock Sjögren's secrets

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Group 1: Control 1. Currently enrolled in and willing to share data from the parent study of "Evaluation of Ingestible Mini-pill for Gastrointestinal Regional Luminal Content Sampling" at Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. 2. Willing to provide saliva and periodontal plaque from the deepest periodontal pocket. 3. Able to understand study requirements and procedures, and willing to sign informed consent prior to participation. Group 2: Sjogren's Cohort 1. Adult Sjogren's Disease participants diagnosed according to the 2016 American European criteria 2. Willing to donate saliva and periodontal plaque from the deepest periodontal pocket. 3. Able and willing to perform home stool collection and recovery of GI sampling capsules. Exclusion Criteria Control Group: 1. Those not participating in parent study, "Evaluation of Ingestible Mini-pill for Gastrointestinal Regional Luminal Content Sampling" at HNRCA. 2. Unable to understand or unwilling to sign the informed consent form. 3. Any medical conditions requiring antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental procedures (e.g., certain cardiac conditions, prosthetic joints). Upon interviewing the potential subject, no periodontal sample will be taken. Only saliva samples will be taken in these cases. 4. Presence of active disease of the hard or soft oral tissues. 5. History of salivary gland disorders, such as Sjögren's syndrome, sarcoidosis, or prior head and neck radiation therapy. 6. If a subject needs to undergo new dental or periodontal treatment (including scaling, root planing, or antibiotic irrigation) while enrolled in our study Sjogren's Cohort: 1. Pregnant or breast feeding 2. Requiring antibiotic prophylaxis before dental procedures 3. HIV/AIDS, sarcoidosis, or prior head and neck radiation therapy.