Effect of Age on Saliva Composition in Healthy Women
Author Information
Author(s): Liisi Sevón, Merja A Laine, Sára Karjalainen, Anguelina Doroguinskaia, Hans Helenius, Endre Kiss, Marjo Lehtonen-Veromaa
Primary Institution: University of Turku, Finland
Hypothesis
How does age affect the flow-rate and composition of saliva in healthy, non-smoking women?
Conclusion
Salivary calcium and phosphate concentrations increase with age, peaking around 50 years, while flow-rate remains unaffected.
Supporting Evidence
- The study provides reference values for salivary electrolytes in women aged 30-59.
- Calcium and phosphate concentrations increased about 12% at the age group of 50-54 years.
- Flow-rate of saliva did not show significant changes with age.
Takeaway
As women get older, their saliva has more calcium and phosphate, but the amount of saliva they produce doesn't change.
Methodology
Saliva samples were collected from healthy, non-smoking women aged 30-59, and analyzed for flow-rate and electrolyte composition.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to self-reported smoking and medication history.
Limitations
The study only included non-medicated and non-smoking women, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Healthy, non-smoking women aged 30-59 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.001 for calcium, p=0.004 for phosphate
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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