In masticating chewing gum, a large quantity of irritative saliva is secreted. For this reason, various studies have been done on the relation of chewing gum to dental caries and periodontal diseases.
Richardson et al, have reported that debris in saliva can be reduced by masticating gum. Shannon and Suzuki et al. have reported that by masticating gum secretion of whole saliva increases as does pH. Further, Volker reports that gum mastication depresses dental caries, gingival inflammation and accumulation of dental calculus.
Intermixed with diverse additives, gum is applied to prevention of dental caries and periocontal diseases. The effect, however, is not consistent. The reason for this is that the ingredients of the gum used by each researcher are diffarent, and therefore, it seems to be difficult to estimate results on the same basis.
In addition, the influence of constituents of secreted saliva produced by masticating gum is relevant.
However, there have been few reports dealing the constituents of saliva produced while masticating gum. To the author's knowledge, there also seem to be no reports on organic acid. For these reasons, the present study was concerned with organic acid detected in whole saliva and in parotid gland saliva. The study was carried out using widely available gums (peppermint and juicy) by means of High-Performanced liquid chromatography.
As a result of the study, the author arrived at the following conclusions:
1. Such organic acids as lactic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, malic acid, propionic acid, citric acid and succinic acid were detected in spontaneously flowing whole saliva and in whole saliva produced while masticating gum base. The organic acids mentioned above and n-butyric acid were detected in the whole saliva produced from peppermint gum mastication. Pyroglutamic acid and n-butylic acid were detected in the whole saliva from juicy gum mastication.
Acetic acid was the most prevalent organic acid detected in spontaneously flowing whole saliva and whole saliva produced while masticating gum base. Propionic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, scucinic acid, formic acid and malic acid followed in descending order. Acetic acid was the most common in whole saliva in masticating peppermint gum, while lactic acid, propionic acid, formic acid, malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid and n-butyric acid followed in descending order. Lactic acid was the most common in whole saliva in masticating juicy gum, while acetic acid, propionic acid, formic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, n-butyric acid, propionic acid, pyroglutamic acid and malic acid followed in descending order.
2. Such organic acid as lactic acid, aceticacid, formic acid, malic, acid propionic acid, citric acid and succinic acid were detected in spontaneously flowing parotid gland saliva parotid saliva produced while masticating gum base. In addition to the above acid, n-butyric acid was detected in parotid gland saliva in masticating peppermint gum and pyroglutamic acid and n-butyric acid were detected in parotid gland saliva in masticating juicy gum.
Lactic acid was the the mast prevalent in spontaneously flowing parotid gland saliva, while acetic acid, formic acid, citric acid, malic acid, propionic acid and succinic acid followed in descending order. Lactic acid was the mast prevalent in parotid gland saliva in masticating gum, while acetic acid, formic acid, citric acid, propionic acid, malic acid and succinic acid followed. Acetic acid was the most prevalent in parotid gland saliva in masticating peppermint gum, followed by lactic acid, formic acid, propionic acid, citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid and n-butyric acid. Lactic acid was the most prevalent in parotid gland saliva in masticating juicy gum, while acetic acid, propionic acid, formic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, pyroglutamic acid, malic acid and n-butyric acid followed.
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