OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in salivary gland function in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS The group consisted of 23 patients with CRF (13 female, 10 male; mean age: 40 +/- 13 yr) and 14 healthy control subjects (mean age: 40 +/- 13 yr). All underwent dynamic salivary gland scintigraphy with gustatory stimulation. After intravenous administration of 99mTc pertechnetate, first, perfusion images at 2 seconds per frame were acquired for 1 minute, then dynamic images at 1 minute per frame were acquired for 45 minutes. At 30 minutes after injection, 10 ml lemon juice was given for 15 minutes as a gustatory stimulus. We obtained time-activity curves derived from regions of interest centered over the four major salivary glands. The following functional indices were calculated for each gland: the time of maximum radioactivity (Tmax) for the prestimulated period, the time of minimum radioactivity (Tmin), as an indicator of velocity of secretion after stimulation, and the Lem E5% value as an indicator of the secretion function. RESULTS When the patients with CRF undergoing hemodialysis were compared to the controls, there were statistically significant differences in Tmax, Tmin and Lem E5% values for bilateral parotid glands, and Tmin values for bilateral submandibular glands (p < 0.05), there were no statistically significant differences in Tmax and Lem E5% values for bilateral submandibular glands. There were also significant differences in Tmax and Lem E5% values for bilateral parotid glands between mild oral problems and severe oral problems in patients with CRF (undergoing hemodialysis). CONCLUSIONS In this study, prolonged Tmax and Tmin values, and decreased Lem E5% values for parotid glands and prolonged Tmin values for submandibular glands on salivary scintigraphy pointed out decreased parenchymatous and excretory function in patients with CRF undergoing hemodialysis.