The variability of the human parotid flow rate on stimulation with citric acid, with special reference to taste

Abstract

In a multifactorial analysis, individual variations in the secretory flow rate of the parotid gland were studied. In all, the effect of 30 different factors on the rate of secretion after stimulation with different citric-acid solutions was studied simultaneously. These factors were general health variables, case history and clinical variables relating to the salivary glands and the oral cavity, sialographic variables and taste. The study showed that the best predictor of secretory capacity of the parotid gland is its size. Of minor importance for the variation of the secretion are sex, weight, the amount of globulin and albumin in blood serum and individual differences in the subjective experience of the acidity of the stimulus. The importance of the size of the glands for the variability of the salivary secretion is so great that a meaningful assessment of the results of sialometric studies is not possible without taking this variable into account. The study includes a description of a radiographic method for the determination of the relative size of the parotid gland.