The objectives of this study were to determine how salivary flow rate and pH vary with time during use of chewing-gums and lozenges. Twenty-four young adults collected unstimulated saliva and then, on different occasions, chewed one of six flavoured gums, or gum base, or sucked on one of two lozenges, for 20 min, during which time eight separate saliva samples were collected. Flow rate peaked during the 1st minute of stimulation with all nine products. With the lozenges, flow rate fell towards he unstimulated rate when the lozenges had dissolved. There were no significant differences in the flow rates elicited by cinnamon- or peppermint-flavoured gums or between sugar-containing or sugar-free gums. With the flavoured gums, the mean flow rate followed a power curve (r = -0.992) with time and within about 10 min was not significantly different from that when gum base was the stimulus. The initial stimulated flow rate with flavoured gums was about 10-12 times greater than the unstimulated rate (0.47 ml/min). After 20 min of chewing, it was still about 2.7 times that rate and about the same as the flow rate elicited by chewing-gum base alone. The pH of unstimulated saliva was about 6.95. With one gum containing about 1.5% organic acids, the salivary pH fell to a minimum of 6.18 in the 1st minute of stimulation, but then rose rapidly to a level above that in unstimulated saliva. With a sucrose-containing and a sucrose-free gum, the pH rose immediately on stimulation and then fell slightly with time to levels which were significantly above the pH of unstimulated saliva.

This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.