title: Relationship between salivary flow rates and Candida albicans counts.
abstract: Seventy-one persons (48 women, 23 men; mean age, 51.76 years) were evaluated for salivary flow rates and Candida albicans counts. Each person was seen on three different occasions. Samples of unstimulated whole, chewing-stimulated whole, acid-stimulated parotid, and candy-stimulated parotid saliva were collected under standardized conditions. An oral rinse was also obtained and evaluated for Candida albicans counts. Unstimulated and chewing-stimulated whole flow rates were negatively and significantly (p < 0.001) related to the Candida counts. Unstimulated whole saliva significantly (p < 0.05) differed in persons with Candida counts of 0 versus <500 versus < or = 500. Chewing-stimulated saliva was significantly (p < 0.05) different in persons with 0 counts compared with those with a > or = 500 count. Differences in stimulated parotid flow rates were not significant among different levels of Candida counts. The results of this study reveal that whole saliva is a better predictor than parotid saliva in identification of persons with high Candida albicans counts.
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002182:Candy; D002951:Citrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D019343:Citric Acid; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D012636:Secretory Rate / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002951:Citrates; D019343:Citric Acid