The unstimulated salivary flow rate after prolonged gum chewing.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether, after a prolonged period of gum chewing, the unstimulated salivary flow rate falls below the unstimulated flow rate before gum chewing.

DESIGN

Six males and six females each collected whole saliva at intervals for up to 105 min on two separate days. On one control day they collected unstimulated saliva over the -10 to 0 and 90 to 105 min periods. On the other day, they made the same collections of unstimulated saliva but, in addition, chewed two tablets of Wrigley's peppermint-flavoured gum over the 0-90 min period. The data on flow rates were subjected to repeated-measures ANOVA and Duncan tests.

RESULTS

The unstimulated flow rates in the -10 to 0 and 90 to 105 min periods were not significantly different on the same day or between days and the values were all significantly less (P<0.05) than the stimulated flow rates, while gum was being chewed.

CONCLUSION

This study provided no evidence that the unstimulated salivary flow rate is reduced after prolonged gum chewing. Patients who complain of mouth dryness after prolonged gum chewing may have become accustomed to the larger volume of saliva present in the mouth during the gum chewing.