Saliva

Question 1

How is saliva produced?

Answer 1

By exocrine glands

Question 2

What is the ionic composition of saliva?

Answer 2

It is hypotonic

Question 3

What are the protective functions of saliva?

Answer 3

lubrication, hydration, maintains pH, prevents demineralisation, host defences, clearance, solubilises

Question 4

What are examples of lubrication & hydration?

Answer 4

mucin and H2O

Question 5

What are benefits of lubrication and hydration?

Answer 5

Food can be swallowed without damaging tissues

Question 6

What are examples of maintaining pH?

Answer 6

Buffering

Question 7

What are examples of preventing demineralisation?

Answer 7

Ca2+ intake and fluroide

Question 8

What are examples of host defences?

Answer 8

saliva flow

Question 9

What is clearance?

Answer 9

mucin and water clearing unwanted foreign objects or microbes

Question 10

What are benefits of solubilising

Answer 10

Food can then be sensed by taste buds

Question 11

What are defensive functions of saliva?

Answer 11

antimicrobial proteins e.g lactoferrin

Question 12

What is an example of enzymatic defences?

Answer 12

amylase (starch) and lipase

Question 13

How much Ca2+ is ionised at the pH of 6.5?

Answer 13

50%

Question 14

How much salivary calcium is non-ionised phosphate and bicarbonate salts?

Answer 14

30%

Question 15

How much salivary calcium is bound to other small molecules?

Answer 15

less than 10%

Question 16

How much salivary calcium is bound to specific calcium-binding macromolecules to prevent precipitation?

Answer 16

10-30%

Question 17

What macromolecules to salivary calcium bound to?

Answer 17

Histidine-rich proteins, Proline-rich proteins, Statherin

Question 18

Where is calcium concentrated in the mouth?

Answer 18

In the acquired pellicle

Question 19

What is pellicle?

Answer 19

the foundation where bacteria and microbes attach

Question 20

What happens if there’s a drop in pH of saliva?

Answer 20

the ionisation of salivary calcium is lessening demineralisation from hydroxyapatites

Question 21

What causes dental erosion?

Answer 21

Citrate which is a chelating agent that binds divalent cations such as Ca2+, thus removing Ca2+ from ionic equilibrium

Question 22

What is the Stephan Curve?

Answer 22

A series of experiments, which is finding what happens to pH when consuming different sugars

Question 23

What is considered a critical pH?

Answer 23

5.5 pH

Question 24

How is pH lowered in the mouth?

Answer 24

CO2 converts into carbonic acid and sugars fermented by bacteria

Question 25

What does buffering mean?

Answer 25

Trying to maintain pH at a constant rate without dropping too much

Question 26

What are the functions of buffering capacity of saliva?

Answer 26

Restoring the pH after carbohydrate intake, and enhances remineralisation of hydroxyapatites

Question 27

What causes buffering?

Answer 27

bicarbonates

Question 28

What are lactoperoxidase?

Answer 28

Enzymes that generate hypothiocyanite anion

Question 29

What is hypothiocyanite highly reactive with?

Answer 29

sulphydryl groups of proteins

Question 30

What is the function of lactoferrin?

Answer 30

secrets iron-binding protein

Question 31

What are the characteristics of lactoferrin?

Answer 31

very high affinity for iron, and are bacteriostatic due to iron with-holding which starves bacteria of iron

Question 32

What does dilution of substances influence?

Answer 32

Pathogenic processes, pharmacology, normal saliva flow rate, hyposalivation

Question 33

What is hyposalivation? (xerostomia)

Answer 33

reduced salivary flow

Question 34

What problems can hyposalivation cause?

Answer 34

Difficulty in talking, eating and wearing dentures, loss of taste, pain, high susceptibility to dental caries

Question 35

What are causes of Salivary Gland Hypofunction?

Answer 35

Medication induced xerostomia, severe immune deficiency, menopause, eating disorders

Question 36

What is Sjögren's Syndrome?

Answer 36

Autoimmune exocrinopathy resulting in hyposalvation

Question 37

What are three measurable factors that influence caries susceptibility?

Answer 37

Saliva buffering capacity, saliva flow rate, salivary concentration of mutans streptococci