Formal Discussion

¹ National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Data have been presented to show that marked differences exist in the concentration of a number of constituents in human and rat saliva. First, human saliva contained about four times as much inorganic phosphorus as rat saliva. Second, rat saliva showed a high alkaline phosphatase and a low acid phosphatase activity when compared with human saliva. Reference is made to the literature that rat saliva has a markedly greater buffer capacity than human saliva and operates at a higher pH. The fourfold higher concentration of protein in rat saliva may also contribute to its increased buffer capacity. Other incidental differences are the elevated sodium and potassium content of rat saliva as well as the increase in tyrosine and tryptophan. It is emphasized that the biochemistry of the salivary secretions in experimental animals should be considered in comparative studies of such oral conditions as caries and periodontal disease.

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