Michiyo Moritsuka | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Quantitative assessment for stimulated saliva flow rate and buffering capacity in relation to different ages.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate salivary flow rate and buffering capacity using a quantitative pH measurement among three broad age groups. METHODS: The population consisting of 117 patients was classified into three age groups: young, middle-aged, and elderly group. The volume of stimulated saliva after chewing gum was measured. Saliva samples were titrated with 0.1N HCl to evaluate the buffering capacity. Saliva pH change was measured directly using a hand-held pH meter. At the point of 50 microL of titrated HCl, individual salivary buffering capacities were ranked into one of the following three categories; high buffering capacity (above pH 5.5), medium buffering capacity (from pH 5.5 to 4.5), and low buffering capacity (below pH 4.5). RESULTS: Chi(2)-test showed that the proportional distribution of individuals in the three buffering capacity groups was not statistically different among the age groups (p>0.05). One-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test showed the flow rate of stimulated whole saliva in the young group was significantly greater than that of the middle-aged and elderly groups (p<0.05). Two-way ANOVA showed there was no significant interaction between the independent variables buffering capacity and age group (F=0.419, p=0.7950). One-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test indicated the flow rate showed significant differences among the three age and buffering capacity groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although a limited number of subjects were investigated in this study, the quantitative saliva assessment is useful as a screening method for different ages to identify patients with a low saliva flow rate and/or buffering capacity.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Simplified and quantitative saliva buffer capacity test using a hand-held pH meter.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare saliva buffer capacity using a hand-held pH meter and a commercial buffer strip in patients at risk of caries. METHODS: To obtain stimulated saliva, 109 patients were given a paraffin wax to chew for 5 minutes. After reading the pH value of 0.5 ml of tested saliva using a portable hand-held pH meter (B-212), 10 microl of 0.1N HCl was titrated into the obtained saliva up to a total titration of 160 microl, and then the pH value read each time. The commercial buffer strip (CRT) was also evaluated. The correlation in ranking results (high, medium, low) between the B-212 pH meter and CRT buffer were statistically analyzed by the Bartlett's test (P < 0.001). RESULTS: At the point of 50 microd of titrated HCl, the individual saliva buffer capacities were ranked into one of the following three categories; high (above pH 5.5), medium (pH from 5.5 to 4.5) and low (below pH 4.5). The percentages of the tested patients for the different ranks (high, medium, low) of buffer capacity were 50%, 17% and 33% respectively for the B-212 pH meter, and 56%, 17% and 27% respectively for the CRT. For the CRT buffer, 23 out of 109 cases showed inconclusive color change under the colorimetric test. There was significant correlation between ranking buffer capacity measured by the B-212 pH meter and the CRT buffer (P < 0.001).

Adult↗