title: Oxalic acid in saliva, teeth and tooth tartar.
abstract: Oxalic acid was determined in human saliva, teeth, tartar, and in animal teeth. Saliva from dentally healthy male subjects contained 0.10 +/- 0.09 mmol/l (n = 41) and those of dentally healthy female subjects 0.18 +/- 0.17 mmol/l (n = 40). Oxalic acid in tartar from 16 patients was 3.3 +/- 1.2 mmol/kg tartar. In human teeth, oxalic acid was 1.0 +/- 0.3 mmol/kg in milk teeth (n = 12) and 0.9 +/- 0.6 mmol/kg in permanent teeth (n = 60). Human teeth were sorted into age groups and into molars, incisors and premolars. In animal teeth, oxalic acid content varied widely. The formed calcium oxalate is proposed to be a 'physiological' protective mechanism for teeth.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik, Abt. IV, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wahl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kallee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010070:Oxalates / Q000032:analysis*; D019815:Oxalic Acid; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D014070:Tooth / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010070:Oxalates; D019815:Oxalic Acid