The Role of Saliva in Taste

The breakdown of food is a complex and intricate process that is successful in large part due to saliva. Not only does saliva help with the breakdown of food for the nutritional value that is has, but saliva also aids in conveying this nutritional information to the brain through the gustatory system. Both animals and humans use saliva on a daily basis to help transduce taste signals to the brain that relay nutrition and ultimately survival information. A key component to perceiving and digesting food is saliva. This review focuses on the role that saliva plays in the perception of taste. In addition to evaluating how it is that saliva can influence taste, the role of orosensory cues in regards to stimulating saliva production will be examined. In addition, evidence revealing both objective and subjective salivary dysfunctions will be discussed. Both types of dysfunction incorporate the effects that can arise when there is a partial or a whole lack of saliva. Additionally, taste dysfunctions that involve the salivary system will also be discussed. Primarily for its involvement in taste, but also for its involvement in the digestive process and in other real world applications, it is surprising how important and powerful something as simply as saliva is to everyday life. Overall, saliva’s role in taste and the interruptions from dysfunction are examined in this review.