Oral Microflora in Subjects with Reduced Salivary Secretion

It is generally assumed that a decreased salivary secretion rate will promote plaque accumulation and increase the risk for caries, gingival inflammation, and mucosal infections. In this study, the effect of hyposalivation on the oral microflora was examined. The following microorganisms were analyzed in rinsing samples from 14 subjects with hyposalivation: the total number of anaerobically growing micro-organisms, a-hemolytic streptococci, mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia/Prevotella nigrescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and enterics. The study group, age 53 ± 7 years, had no history of radiation therapy and showed no signs of inflammation in their salivary glands on biopsy. All were dentate with a mean of 24 ± 3 teeth. Their salivary secretion rates were 0.03 ± 0.02 mL/min (unstimulated) and 0.84 ± 0.65 mL/min (stimulated). The control group was matched to the hyposalivation group according to age, sex, and number of teeth. There was a signi...