Acidity of saliva. Saliva acidity pH

Saliva pH standards. Change in saliva pas. By measuring the pH of saliva, you can monitor the health of your body.

March 17, 2020

The acidity of saliva depends on the rate of salivation.

Typically, the acidity of mixed human saliva is 6.8–7.4 pH, but with high salivation rates it reaches 7.8 pH.

The acidity of the saliva of the parotid glands is 5.81 pH, of the submandibular glands - 6.39 pH. In children, the average acidity of mixed saliva is 7.32 pH.

Optimal measurement from 10 to 12 hours. It is better to measure it on an empty stomach, two hours before or two hours after a meal.

Salivation decreases in the evening and at night.

To increase salivation, in order to increase the pH of saliva, it is good if there is a piece of lemon on the plate; it even with visual perception increases salivation. Food should look appetizing, served on beautiful dishes, appetizingly decorated with herbs and/or vegetables, it should, as they say, please the eye! Not only the saliva flows, but also the juices in the body, preparing for the process of digesting food. This is the mental phase of digestive secretion.

Acid gastroesophageal and pharyngolaryngeal refluxes reaching the oral cavity play a leading role in the occurrence of oral pathology.

As a result of the ingress of hydrochloric acid, the acidity of mixed saliva decreases below 7.0 pH.

Saliva, which normally has alkaline properties, at low pH, especially at values of 6.2–6.0, leads to focal demineralization of tooth enamel with the appearance of erosions of hard dental tissues and the formation of cavities in them - caries. The amount of mucus on the mucous membrane increases, the gums become swollen and inflamed.

When the acidity in the oral cavity decreases, the acidity of dental plaque decreases, which causes the development of caries.

Bacteria in the mouth thrive in the absence of air. Saliva, rich in oxygen, actively prevents their reproduction. Bad breath occurs when the flow of saliva slows down, for example during sleep. Excitement, hunger, pronouncing a long monologue, breathing through the mouth (for example, with a runny nose), stress - dry out the oral cavity, leading to a decrease in the pH of saliva. A decrease in saliva flow inevitably occurs with age.

You can use a slightly alkaline mouth rinse with water with the addition of soda and also take it orally between meals, proposed by Professor A.T. Ogulov. – slightly alkaline pH 7.4-8. Rinsing the mouth with soda water occurs for various inflammatory diseases of the gums and teeth and for general acidification of the body.

You can set the desired pH of water for rinsing or ingestion using litmus indicator paper. There cannot be recipes with the required proportions, because... Each region has its own water, with its own pH. Therefore, it is necessary to have indicator paper on hand.

How to use indicator paper:

On a roll, you can tear off any amount of paper you need by pulling its tip located in the plastic dispenser (if the indicator paper is on a roll). Or take a strip (if your indicator paper is in measuring strips)

You need to wet it with saliva for two to three seconds. Compare with the supplied color chart and calculate the values.

Buy indicator paper...

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Natural factors affecting the acid-base balance in the oral cavity

Many endo- and exogenous factors influence the acid-base balance in the oral cavity: the general condition of the human body, the severity of conditioned and unconditioned reflexes, muscle (chewing) activity, the nature of breathing, speech, food, oral microflora, hygiene products, dentures, fillings and other. The most pronounced influence in physiological conditions is the vital activity of microflora, the composition of food, the composition and rate of saliva secretion.

Raid

The acid-base balance in the oral cavity depends on the presence of plaque.

Microbial plaque forms mainly on the surfaces of teeth, artificial dentures and on the back of the tongue. Dental plaque (dental plaque) is an accumulation of microorganisms living in the oral cavity on the surface of the teeth with the inclusion of structureless substances of organic nature: proteins, lipids, carbohydrates. Among carbohydrates, dextran is an important homooligosaccharide consisting of glucose residues. Dextran has the ability to adhere (sorb) bacteria to dental plaque. Mature dental plaque in 1g contains about 2.5 • 1011 bacteria.

The main source of energy production from plaque bacteria is the processes of anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrates: lactic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid fermentation. Lactate and other organic acids produced by microbial plaque during the utilization of food carbohydrates are the main “culprits” of acidotic changes not only in the area of dental plaque, but also in the oral fluid. In plaque, there is a process of utilization of urea, which enters the oral cavity mainly with saliva. Bacterial ureases break down urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Ammonia, by binding protons, shifts the acid-base balance to the basic side. However, this is not enough to counteract the powerful “metabolic explosion” caused by carbohydrates.

Food

The acid-base balance in the oral cavity depends on food. Food is a destabilizer of acid-base balance. The influence of food should be considered from several aspects.

First, food contains acids and bases. Thus, fruits and juices contain a significant amount of organic acids, which cause a sharp decrease in the pH of the oral fluid (up to 4-3 units). If such a food product does not remain in the mouth for long, this change is short-lived. Longer contact can cause, for example, erosion of hard dental tissues: enamel and dentin. Some foods contain ammonium ions, urea (cheese, nuts, menthol) and are alcogenic. Typically, changes in the reaction of mixed saliva towards the alkaline side are insignificant and do not exceed pH 8.

Secondly, carbohydrates contained in food are metabolized by the microflora of dental plaque, with the formation of large amounts of organic acids, mainly lactate. The most acidogenic are mono- and disaccharides.

In descending order of acidogenicity, they can be arranged as follows: sucrose, invert sugar, glucose, fructose, maltose, galactose, lactose. The particular acidogenicity of sucrose is due to the adaptability of microorganisms to excess sucrose and is explained by its very rapid fermentation in dental plaque, a pronounced stimulating effect on the growth of dental plaque, and a high ability to stimulate the production of polysaccharides in dental plaque, in particular, polysaccharides with adhesive properties.

Thirdly, eating food and chewing it stimulate salivation and, thereby, help level out the resulting pH shifts.

Saliva

The acid-base balance in the oral cavity depends on saliva. Saliva is the main factor in leveling pH shifts in the oral cavity under physiological conditions. Its influence on this indicator is due to:

mechanical cleaning from food debris; 1
antimicrobial effect of lysozyme, cyanide anions, phagocytes, immunoglobulins and other components;
the work of buffer systems: bicarbonate (provides about 80% of the buffer capacity of saliva), protein and phosphate.

The implementation of the pH-stabilizing properties of saliva significantly depends on the rate of its secretion and rheological properties (viscosity). In general, the higher the rate of salivary flow and the lower the viscosity, the greater the ability Muscle contractions associated with chewing, swallowing and speech contribute to the emptying of the salivary glands and the movement of saliva in the oral cavity, and therefore can be considered as a factor in stabilizing the acid-base balance.

Assessment of the effects of factors affecting the acid-base balance in the oral cavity

It is obvious that the pH of the oral fluid is an indicator that changes under the conditions of the organism’s existence. A method for an integral assessment of factors affecting the acid-base balance in the oral cavity was proposed in 1938 by the American scientist Stefan. Information about the duration, severity of acidotic changes after eating and the speed of their correction can be obtained from the Stefan curve .

Stefan curve

The Stefan curve is a graph of time changes in the pH of oral fluid (microbial plaque) after eating food. At the same time, it is precisely this information that makes it possible to predict the risk of adverse consequences of acid-base imbalances, and, in particular, such as demineralization of enamel. Consider the Stefan curve in oral fluid after eating a piece of sugar. The curve was obtained using repeated measurements of the pH of the oral fluid: before consuming sugar, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after consumption.

It can be seen that within about 15 minutes after taking sugar, the pH drops to minimum values (catacrota). Then the pH rises with the restoration of the original level after an hour from the moment of taking sugar (anacrotic). The drop in pH is due to the production of acids by microflora, the restoration of the original pH value is due to the action of acid-reducing factors in the oral cavity. The assessment of factors that disturb the acid-base balance and factors counter-directed to them is carried out using empirical and calculated indicators.

The clinical significance of the Stefan curve is that it allows one to assess the cariogenic situation in the oral cavity. When the pH decreases below 6.2, saliva is a demineralizing liquid, and when the pH is above 6.2, it is a remineralizing liquid. Therefore, a saliva pH value of 6.2 is called critical. Using the Stefan curve, it is possible to study the cariogenicity (according to acid production) of various food products and the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents (antiseptics, hygiene products).

A number of studies allow us to evaluate individual factors affecting the acid-base balance in the oral cavity. This type of research includes analysis of the number of certain types of acid-producing bacteria in the oral cavity, as well as determination of the buffer capacity of saliva. The buffering capacity of saliva can be determined by the so-called “immersion stick” technique. The technique involves dipping a stick coated with chemical indicators into the patient's mixed saliva. The resulting color is an indicator of the buffer capacity of saliva.

Methods of artificial influence on the acid-base balance in the oral cavity

The mechanisms of self-regulation of acid-base balance do not always work effectively enough. Therefore, various ways of influencing the main elements of regulation are used.

The most effective way is to influence the oral microflora and its metabolic activity. This influence can be carried out in several ways:

mechanical removal using hygiene products (flossing and tongue cleaning, teeth brushing);
use of antiseptics, fluorides;
limiting the intake of easily metabolized carbohydrates into the oral cavity

Another way of influencing the acid-base balance in the oral cavity is by influencing the oral fluid, for example, increasing the rate of salivation. Increased salivation is promoted by tougher foods (due to muscle activity), chewing gum, and adding small amounts of acids to food, such as citric acid.

An increase in the rate of salivation leads to an acceleration of the mechanical cleansing of the teeth and oral cavity from food carbohydrate residues, deflated epithelium, and there is an increased entry into the oral cavity of new molecules of buffer systems and antimicrobial components of saliva.

Disturbance of oral microflora: causes

Oral dysbiosis can be caused by a variety of diseases and problems. Violation of opportunistic microflora of the oral cavity most often causes problems such as:

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Malfunctions of the digestive organs lead to a slowdown in metabolic processes in the body. The absorption of vitamins and nutrients deteriorates, the balance of the intestinal bacterial environment is disrupted, which provokes problems in other organs and systems.
Decreased immunity. If the body's resistance deteriorates, the oral cavity automatically becomes more vulnerable to pathogenic microflora.
Chronic diseases. Often, small caries or stomatitis, if left untreated, can spread from the source of inflammation to the entire oral cavity.
Bad habits, such as systematic drinking of alcohol and smoking, inevitably affect the quality of the salivary glands. Prolonged drying out or too much moisture in the oral cavity has a detrimental effect on the composition of the microflora.
Poor nutrition and lack of vitamins worsens the quality of saliva and makes the microflora of the oral cavity more vulnerable.
Taking antibiotics and certain medications, such as hormones;
Wearing dentures.