Abstract
It is already known that whole mixed saliva consists of saliva perse and various substances, including organic and inorganic components produced in the mouth, which have much to do with oral diseases. However, little has been studied concerning infant saliva, namely, its components and composition, fluctuation of contents according to age, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and examinations of qualitative and quantitative nature. In the present study, therfore, an attempt was made to examine the fatty acid of the saliva, and the composition of fatty acid of the saliva from infants was compared with that from adults in relation to smell. The following were the results of the study.
1) Palmitic acid and stearic acid were in all the samples of infant mixed saliva, and myristic acid from most of the samples.
2) Myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid were detected from all the samples of adult mixed saliva, and capric acid and lauric acid from most of the samples.
3) The fatty acid contents of whole mixed saliva from infants varied greatly from individual to individual, while those from adults showed little variance among the individuals.
4) The stearic acid and palmitic acid accounted for 95% of the fatty acid of whole mixed saliva in infants, while the same two acids accounted for 77%of the fatty acid of the whole mixed saliva in adults. It is presumed that capric acid plays a part in the smell of saliva based on the fact that there was no capric acid in infant mixed saliva while 8% capric acid was detected in adult mixed saliva.
