The effect of a chewing gum on salivary secretion, oral mucosal friction, and the feeling of dry mouth in xerostomic patients

Abstract

A new chewing gum (PTC) with the ability to release flavoring substances for a rather long time was tested for its ability to stimulate saliva secretion. The chewing gum is mildly flavored and contains non-cariogenic sweeteners (xylitol and sorbitol). Measurements of saliva secretion rate and oral mucosal sliding friction and subjective evaluations on visual analog scales were made in relation to chewing and compared with those when chewing a commercially available gum (V6). The study was a randomized, crossover comparison with blind evaluation. Both chewing gums stimulated saliva secretion and decreased oral mucosal friction. The PTC gum gave consistently higher mean values of saliva secretion rate and lower oral mucosal friction values than V6. The difference was statistically significant for the saliva secretion rate and most pronounced after 5-10 min of chewing. There was also a statistically significant difference between the subjective evaluations of V6 and PTC with regard to saliva-stimulating ability and taste in favor of the PTC gum.