Advances in Dental Research, Vol 8, 229-238, Copyright © 1994 by International & American Associations for Dental Research

ARTICLES

Caries-protective factors in saliva

F. Lagerlof and A. Oliveby
Department of Cariology, School of Dentistry, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.

Saliva influences caries attack mainly by its rate of flow and by its content of fluoride. The salivary flow rate influences to a high degree the rate of oral and salivary clearance of bacterial substrates included in foods and snacks. This influence is site-dependent. The basal salivary fluoride concentration is low, about 1 mumol/L, independent of salivary flow rate, and not influenced by diurnal variation. After an exposure of the oral cavity to fluoride, the increased fluoride level is decreased by a process influenced mainly by the salivary flow rate and the volumes of saliva in the mouth before and after swallowing. Other less important caries-protective factors in saliva include its buffer ability, its content of calcium, inorganic phosphate, pH-increasing substances, and anti-microbial agents.

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