Effect of Bagasse Chewing-Gum on Salivary Flow and Buffer Capacity

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of chewing gum plus bagasse on salivary flow rate (SFR) and buffer capacity (BC). Materials and methods: The research protocol was approved by the committee on human rights related to human experimentation of the Mahidol University. This study was a double-blinded crossover design trial. Whole saliva was collected from twenty adult volunteers. They were assigned to spit the saliva for 5 minutes during chewing the gum plus bagasse, gum and without gum and bagasse. The wash out period for collecting the saliva of each volunteer was one week. The SFR was determined by weighing the saliva in gram/min. The BC was measured using pH meter (Orion) according to the method of Ericsson: 1 ml whole saliva was added to 3 ml of 0.005N HCL. Results: The mean±S.D. SFR collected from chewing the gum plus bagasse, gum and without gum and bagasse were 4.43 ±0.79, 3.49± 0.83 and 0.66±0.29 gram/min respectively. The mean±S.D BC collected from chewing the gum plus bagasse, gum and without gum and bagasse were 6.58±0.79, 5.66±0.88 and 4.26±0.99 respectively. The SFR and BC during chewing the chewing gum plus bagasse were significantly higher than chewing gum (p<.05). Conclusion: The chewing gum plus bagasse increased the SFR and BC more than chewing gum.