The Distribution of Mucosal pH Values with Normal Saliva Secretion

Background: In the absence of sufficient saliva secretion, the health of hard and soft oral anatomical structures is jeopardized resulting in a decreased quality of life. One of the major roles of saliva is to maintain adequate pH levels in the oral cavity. The oral soft tissue is mostly covered by a persistent saliva film, protecting the delicate structure and integrity of the epithelial surfaces. Objectives: To quantify the mucosal pH of acidity in several sites in the oral cavity and to correlate these to gender, age and unstimulated whole saliva flow rate in healthy individuals. Methods: 50 healthy individuals were examined. Salivary pH was measured in eight locations including the palate, the buccal mucosa the tongue and floor of the mouth using a flat glass electrode. Unstimulated whole salivary flow was obtained fir 10 minutes. Results: The mean pH (± S.D) of all sites was 6.78±0.04 with no significant differences between the right and left buccal mucosal sites, between the tongue sites and between palatal areas. No gender difference was found in the mean pH value, but a significant difference in regression analysis of mean pH site versus age was found in palate R2= 0.12, F=6.2, P=0.016 and in tongue: R2=0.083, F=4.33, P=0.04. Conclusions: The measuring system we present is reliable, easy and relatively quick to manipulate, and may offer many diagnostic possibilities. These include the monitoring of gastrointestinal disorders affecting the oral cavity and as a possible tool for prediction of hard and soft oral tissue damage in xerostomic patients.