Biomaterial Database

The masticatory-parotid salivary reflex in edentulous subjects. 1998

B J Scott, and R Hassanwalia, and R W Linden

Department of Prosthetics, King's Dental Institute, University of London, UK.

The parotid-masticatory salivary reflex has been studied in edentulous subjects. Salivary flow was recorded by siting a modified Lashley cup over the orifice of the parotid duct on one side of the mouth. Subjects chewed on small pieces of silicone rubber with their complete dentures for 1 min periods which resulted in a reflex secretion of parotid saliva. The secretion was greatest when the subject chewed on the same side of the mouth (ipsilateral) as the salivary flow was recorded. Less salivary flow resulted when the subjects chewed on the opposite side of the mouth (contralateral). Anaesthesia of the mucosa of the maxillary and mandibular denture-bearing area was achieved by placing a thin layer of anaesthetic ointment in the fitting surface of the dentures on the side ipsilateral to the Lashley cup. This resulted in a reduction of salivary flow in response to similar chewing cycles. The results confirmed the presence of a parotid-masticatory salivary reflex in edentulous subjects which appears similar in many respects to that of dentate subjects. It is likely that receptors in the oral mucosa are stimulated when an edentulous subject masticates with complete dentures and that activity in these mechanoreceptive neurones results in the reflex salivary secretion.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008409	Mastication	The act and process of chewing and grinding food in the mouth.	Chewing
D008465	Mechanoreceptors	Cells specialized to transduce mechanical stimuli and relay that information centrally in the nervous system. Mechanoreceptor cells include the INNER EAR hair cells, which mediate hearing and balance, and the various somatosensory receptors, often with non-neural accessory structures.	Golgi Tendon Organ,Golgi Tendon Organs,Krause's End Bulb,Krause's End Bulbs,Mechanoreceptor,Mechanoreceptor Cell,Meissner's Corpuscle,Neurotendinous Spindle,Neurotendinous Spindles,Receptors, Stretch,Ruffini's Corpuscle,Ruffini's Corpuscles,Stretch Receptor,Stretch Receptors,Mechanoreceptor Cells,Bulb, Krause's End,Bulbs, Krause's End,Cell, Mechanoreceptor,Cells, Mechanoreceptor,Corpuscle, Meissner's,Corpuscle, Ruffini's,Corpuscles, Ruffini's,End Bulb, Krause's,End Bulbs, Krause's,Krause End Bulb,Krause End Bulbs,Krauses End Bulb,Krauses End Bulbs,Meissner Corpuscle,Meissners Corpuscle,Organ, Golgi Tendon,Organs, Golgi Tendon,Receptor, Stretch,Ruffini Corpuscle,Ruffini Corpuscles,Ruffinis Corpuscle,Ruffinis Corpuscles,Spindle, Neurotendinous,Spindles, Neurotendinous,Tendon Organ, Golgi,Tendon Organs, Golgi
D009061	Mouth Mucosa	Lining of the ORAL CAVITY, including mucosa on the GUMS; the PALATE; the LIP; the CHEEK; floor of the mouth; and other structures. The mucosa is generally a nonkeratinized stratified squamous EPITHELIUM covering muscle, bone, or glands but can show varying degree of keratinization at specific locations.	Buccal Mucosa,Oral Mucosa,Mucosa, Mouth,Mucosa, Oral
D009066	Mouth, Edentulous	Total lack of teeth through disease or extraction.	Mouth, Toothless,Edentulous Mouth,Edentulous Mouths,Toothless Mouth
D010306	Parotid Gland	The largest of the three pairs of SALIVARY GLANDS. They lie on the sides of the FACE immediately below and in front of the EAR.	Gland, Parotid,Glands, Parotid,Parotid Glands
D012018	Reflex	An involuntary movement or exercise of function in a part, excited in response to a stimulus applied to the periphery and transmitted to the brain or spinal cord.
D003824	Denture, Complete	A denture replacing all natural teeth and associated structures in both the maxilla and mandible.	Complete Denture,Complete Dentures,Dentures, Complete
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012463	Saliva	The clear, viscous fluid secreted by the SALIVARY GLANDS and mucous glands of the mouth. It contains MUCINS, water, organic salts, and ptylin.	Salivas
D012636	Secretory Rate	The amount of a substance secreted by cells or by a specific organ or organism over a given period of time; usually applies to those substances which are formed by glandular tissues and are released by them into biological fluids, e.g., secretory rate of corticosteroids by the adrenal cortex, secretory rate of gastric acid by the gastric mucosa.	Rate, Secretory,Rates, Secretory,Secretory Rates