The effect on human salivary flow rate of the temperature of a gustatory stimulus

Abstract

In the first study, whole saliva was collected from ten adults during stimulation with sour, carbonated, sweet and water stimuli in the form of 5-ml of ice at about −10°C or of liquids at 0, 8, 20 or 37°C. Parotid saliva was also collected in response to ice or infusion into the mouth of the liquids at different temperatures. Another group of ten adults also collected whole saliva in response to water at 20°C, with or without the presence in the mouth of an acrylic cube of dimensions similar to those of the ice. In a second study, 20 adults collected whole saliva in response to stimulation with 5 ml of water and of an astringent stimulus at 0, 8, 37 and 70°C. In the first study, flow rates fell in the order sour, carbonated, sweet and water and flow rates in response to stimuli in the form of ice were very significantly higher than in response to the corresponding liquids at the four different temperatures. With the sour stimulus, liquids at 0 and 8°C elicited higher flow rates than liquids at 20 or 37°C. Although the presence in the mouth of the acrylic block increased the flow rate of whole saliva, the increase was only about 30% of that achieved with ice. In the second study, the astringent stimulus was a more effective salivary stimulus than water; flow rates were significantly higher in response to liquids at 0 and 8°C than at the higher temperatures and flow rates in response to liquids at 37°C were significantly lower than with the other temperatures. In summary, stimuli in the form of ice were the most effective and liquids at 37°C were least effective in stimulating salivary flow.