Effect of chewing gum containing tea polyphenol on salivary

Objectives: To investigate the change of salivary flow rate and pH after chewing tea polyphenol gum. Methods: Eight healthy volunteers aged from 24 to 27 were randomly allocated to either group, chewing tea polyphenol gum and the control gum which contained the same ingredients except for the tea polyphenol. Saliva was collected before and after chewing. Both the salivary flow rate and pH value were measured. After one week wash-out period the subjects were assigned to the other group. Results: The chewing gum can significantly increase the flow rate as well as pH value of the saliva. The flow rate peaks in the first minute. Then it decreased in the following minutes. Significant increases of the pH value were observed after chewing gum. No significant difference of the flow rate and pH value was found between the two groups. Conclusions: Chewing gum containing tea polyphenol can increase the secretion and elevate the pH value of the saliva. It can help for oral health care.