Original Paper
Promotion of Salivation Due to Odorant Stimulation by Aromatic Oil
―In Case of Black Pepper Oil and Cardamon Oil―
2010 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 134-144
Details
2010 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 134-144
Contributing to taste perception, digestion and smooth movement of oral organs, saliva plays a major role in all processes from mastication to swallowing. Clinically, patients with low salivary secretion are treated by massaging the salivary glands and oral mucosa, or are asked to conduct tongue, jaw and lip exercises to promote salivary flow. However, these methods are only applicable for patients who are in relatively good mental health. In this study, we examined the effect of odorant stimulation using aromatic oil on promoting salivation, since odorant stimulation can be easily applied to patients who find it difficult to follow instructions and open the mouth.
Forty-three healthy subjects (male: 18, female: 25, mean age: 21.8±1.2 years) without allergic diseases, salivary gland diseases, symptoms of xerostomia, parosmia or smell disorder were selected through screening tests. For odorant stimulation, 100% aromatic oils of black pepper oil (BPO), cardamon oil (CO) and odorless jojoba oil (JO) were used. The aromatic oil was painted on stick-type smelling strips, and then presented at positions 30 mm away from the nostrils of subjects, who were then asked to breathe normally to inhale the odor. Salivary flow rates were measured four times for each subject during inhalation using the cotton method to obtain mean values. To avoid the effects of perceptive factors except for smelling on saliva secretion, the names of odorant samples were presented after testing.
As a result, salivary flow rates significantly increased upon stimulation of BPO (experiment I: 0.164± 0.021 g, experiment II: 0.175±0.026 g) and CO (0.182±0.026 g) relative to resting (experiment I: 0.111± 0.014 g, experiment II: 0.130±0.020 g) and stimulation of JO (0.118±0.018 g). There was no statistical difference in increase of saliva secretion between BPO and CO stimulation. In addition, no gender difference in saliva increase was observed.
BPO is known to activate the insular cortex and shorten the latency of swallowing reflex, and BPO aroma patches have been clinically used for swallowing rehabilitation. In addition, our study revealed that BPO and CO promote salivation. In future, by conducting detailed studies such as changing the frequency and time period of aromatic stimulation, it is suggested that BPO and CO could be used for new oral treatment methods.
