SALIVARY CITRATE AND DENTAL EROSION

PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING CITRIC ACID IN SALVIA—DENTAL EROSION AND CITRIC ACID IN SALVIA

¹ National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

1. Application of the citric acid method proposed by Pucher, Sherman, and Vickery and modified by Perlman, Lardy, and Johnson, for the analysis of saliva, was critically studied and a satisfactory procedure adopted. The citric acid in saliva is quite unstable, but by addition of H₂SO₄ the saliva is stabilized and recovery of added citric acid is satisfactory. Amounts of citric acid varying from 0.010 mg. to 0.450 mg. in 10.0 ml. specimens of saliva may be determined.

2. Although the number of individuals involved is small, the general pattern of erosion was observed to be as follows: (a) the upper teeth show a greater degree and a greater prevalence of erosion than the lower teeth, (b) the teeth of the right and left quadrants of both jaws have a similar degree of erosion, and (c) the severity of erosion increases with age.

3. The citric acid content of stimulated saliva varies from 0.20 mg. per cent to about 2.00 mg. per cent in individuals with and without dental erosion. There is a slight increase with age in the citric acid content of stimulated salivas.

4. On the basis of the data thus far accumulated, there appears to be a positive statistical correlation between the severity of human erosion and the salivary citrate content.