Comparison of salivary flow rate and pH between healthy subjects and tobacco and areca nut chewers

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco and areca nuts release carcinogens, which cause alterations in saliva. Evaluation of these changes through estimation of salivary flow rate and pH was performed in tobacco and areca nut chewers and apparently healthy subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group for this comparative study comprised 60 subjects with 20 areca nut chewers (group 1), 20 tobacco chewers (group 2), and 20 non-tobacco and areca nut chewers (group 3) in the ages between 18 and 75 years. After collection of saliva from each subject, the salivary flow rate (SFR) was measured by using graduated tubes, whereas salivary pH was measured using a digital salivary pH meter. Tukey HSD post hoc test was performed for comparison of mean SFR and mean pH between study group subjects. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to find the mean difference in SFR and pH in duration, intensity, and frequency among various types of areca nut and tobacco users. A ”P” value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age among groups 1, 2, and 3 was 37.70 ± 10.44, 39.75 ± 10.16, and 37.90 ± 10.52 years, respectively, with a statistically insignificant difference. The mean salivary flow rate (ml/20 min) was maximum in group 3 (13.23), followed by group 2 (11.75) and group 1 (10.48), with the statistically significant difference as P < 0.05. The mean salivary pH was maximum in group 3 (7.07), followed by group 2 (6.86) and group 1 (6.49), with the statistically significant difference as P < 0.05. CONCLUSION: Long-term use of tobacco and areca nuts in a chewable form can significantly reduce the salivary flow rate and salivary pH. Hence, these measurements can be used as chair side, non-invasive measures for assessing pathological changes in oral mucosa linked to vulnerable effects among people addicted to these adverse habits; thereby, early re-organization can prevent mobility and mortality.