Secretory function of the contralateral parotid glands

Abstract

Background.The study was a reaction to an article about the physiological asymmetry of the salivary glands in right-handed and left-handed people.
 Aim.To determine the impact of the side of the study on the function of the parotid glands as a possible factor that must be taken into account when evaluating the results of sialometry.
 Material and methods.In 22patients with xerostomia, controlled dynamic sialometry was performed in two stages. The second stage was a week after the first one. At the first stage, Lashley's capsule was on the right, the catheter was on the left, at the second stage, the catheter was on the right, the capsule was on the left. Sialometry was performed in the morning, 20minutes after taking 8 drops of a 1% aqueous solution of pilocarpine, for 20minutes. The results with the Lashley capsule outside the duct were considered control, the results with the catheter in the duct were controlled. This eliminated the technological measurement error. The significance of differences in sialometry parameters was assessed using statistical analysis with Student's t-test. The results were considered significant at p 0.05.
 Results.In the sample with use of the Lashley's capsule, higher sialometry values on the right were found in 7 out of 22cases (31.8%), on the left in 13 out of 22cases (59.1%) (p0.05). In the group with the use of a catheter, in 15 out of 22cases (68.2%) and in 5 out of 22cases (22.7%), respectively (t=3.4028; p0.001). In a single sample (capsules and catheter), in 22 out of 44cases (50.0%) and in 18 out of 44cases (40.9%), respectively (p0.05). The results of comparing the average values on the right, obtained in 22cases with a capsule (1.20.6 ml), with those on the left (1.30.7ml) showed no significant difference (t=0.5254). Differences in catheter sialometry (1.00.7ml on the right and 0.80.7ml on the left) were also not significant (p0.05).
 Conclusion.The secretory function of the contralateral parotid glands under comparable individual conditions is the same. Objectively determined functional symmetry simplifies the analysis of the salivary glands secretory function study results.