Salivary Flow Rate in Children and Adolescents

This paper gives information on the flow rate of mixed whole saliva, stimulated by chewing, from the age at which the child can first co-operate in sampling adulthood. The salivary flow rate increased with age and boys had consistently higher rates than girls. As far as the flow rate is concerned the salivary glands seemed to be fully developed at the age of 15. When the flow rate was determined under standardized conditions, it was relatively stable, not only during daytime and from day to day but also over a longer period of time. Neither the time of day when the sample was taken nor the timing in relation to the last meal could be found to be of significant importance to the flow rate. Furthermore, repeated sampling did not affect the results as the children "learned" how to spit. In the great majority of cases a single determination, using the simple method employed in this study, must be considered fully adequate. However, at a very low flow rate repeated sampling reduces the risk of obtaining a misleading extreme value due to individual variation.