title: The effects of chewing-gum stick size and duration of chewing on salivary flow rate and sucrose and bicarbonate concentrations.
abstract: The objectives were to determine (1) the relations between salivary flow rate and the sample weights of chewing-gum and gum base, (2) whether any reduction in salivary flow rate with duration of chewing is due to a reduction in hardness of gum base with chewing, and (3) the sucrose and bicarbonate concentrations in saliva elicited by different weights of chewing-gum containing sucrose. Ten subjects chewed, for 20 min, samples of 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 g of gum base and of a sucrose-containing chewing-gum. With each sample, salivary flow rates peaked initially and then fell to a relatively constant value. Flow rates during the periods of 1-2 and 15-20 min were linearly related to the logarithm of sample weight. With the chewing-gum samples, virtually all the sucrose was released into the saliva during the 20 min of chewing, with peak concentrations (201-666 mM) at 1-2 min, and bicarbonate concentrations were higher with the 9-g than the 3-g samples. Six subjects chewed 3 g of gum base and within 45 min the weight of base had increased to 122% of the original, presumably due to the uptake of saliva. The hardness of gum base was determined at 21 and 36 degrees C, 21 and 36 degrees C after it had been chewed, and 21 degrees C after it had been chewed without exposure to saliva, and gave Brinell values of 0.277, 0.038, 0.022, 0.002 and 0.061, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenhek
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Macpherson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dawes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001639:Bicarbonates / Q000032:analysis*; D002638:Chewing Gum / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006244:Hardness; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D008875:Middle Aged; D012408:Rubber; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012636:Secretory Rate; D013395:Sucrose / Q000032:analysis*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D001639:Bicarbonates; D002638:Chewing Gum; D014867:Water; D013395:Sucrose; D012408:Rubber