Sonesson Mikael, Eliasson Lars, Matsson Lars
Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Carl Gustafs väg 34, SE-205 06 Malmö, Sweden.
Arch Oral Biol. 2003 Jul;48(7):535-9. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9969(03)00086-4.
The minor salivary glands are of great importance in the physiology and pathology of the oral cavity. So far, studies of the minor glands have concentrated on adults. In the present study, minor salivary gland secretion was studied in the buccal and labial mucosa of 3-year-old children, adolescents and young adults. In addition, the number of glands per surface area was assessed in the labial mucosa. A total of 90 individuals were included, 30 in each age-group. Saliva was collected on filter paper discs and the salivary secretion rate was measured using a Periotron 8000. The number of secreting labial glands was assessed on PAS-stained filter paper discs under a microscope. Salivary secretion in the buccal mucosa was found to be age-related, with a statistically significant lower rate of secretion (P=0.003) in the 3-year-olds (mean 7.7 microl x cm(-2) x min(-1)) compared with the young adults (11.9 microl x cm(-2) x min(-1)). No significant differences between the sexes were noted. For the labial glands, no age- or sex-related differences were found. In all age-groups, salivary secretion was significantly higher in the buccal than in the labial mucosal area. A statistically significant difference in number of secreting glands was found between all age-groups, with a decreasing number of glands per surface unit with age. The number of glands was significantly lower in males compared with females in the group of adults. The lower rate of buccal salivary secretion in the young children may imply that the oral mucosa is more vulnerable to external injury and that caries protection on the buccal molar surfaces is lower. Previous studies indicate that adults with a reduced rate of minor salivary gland secretion are more susceptible to caries.
小唾液腺在口腔生理学和病理学中具有重要意义。到目前为止，对小唾液腺的研究主要集中在成年人。在本研究中，对3岁儿童、青少年和年轻成年人的颊黏膜和唇黏膜中的小唾液腺分泌进行了研究。此外，还评估了唇黏膜每单位表面积的腺体数量。总共纳入了90名个体，每个年龄组30名。在滤纸片上收集唾液，并使用Periotron 8000测量唾液分泌率。在显微镜下对经PAS染色的滤纸片上分泌唾液的唇腺数量进行评估。发现颊黏膜中的唾液分泌与年龄相关，3岁儿童（平均7.7微升×厘米-2×分钟-1）的分泌率显著低于年轻成年人（11.9微升×厘米-2×分钟-1）（P = 0.003）。未观察到性别之间的显著差异。对于唇腺，未发现与年龄或性别相关的差异。在所有年龄组中，颊黏膜中的唾液分泌均显著高于唇黏膜区域。在所有年龄组之间发现分泌腺体数量存在统计学显著差异，每单位表面积的腺体数量随年龄减少。在成年人组中，男性的腺体数量显著低于女性。幼儿颊部唾液分泌率较低可能意味着口腔黏膜更容易受到外部损伤，并且颊侧磨牙表面的防龋能力较低。先前的研究表明，小唾液腺分泌率降低的成年人更容易患龋齿。
