F&M &and %ow rates in healthy, elderly dantulcms aad edentulous individuals

The use of dentures has been associated with increased stimulated parotid salivary flow rates (SPFR). A comparison of SPFRs was made between dentulous subjects having 20+ teeth (n = 190) and edentulous individuals (n = 67). Two different popuIations were selected, a white group from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and an African-American group from the Washington Village Medical Center in Baltimore. Each group was healthy and unmedicated and had a mean age of 70.2 years. SPFR was determined with a Carlson-Crittenden cup and 2% citrate for stimulation. The edentulous subjects did not wear their dentures during salivary collection. The results indicated a significantly lower SPFR in dentate individuals compared with edentulous subjects (p < 6.01). Dentulous men also had a lower SPFR than edentulous men (p < 0.04). In addition, a preand postsurgical evaluation of 1~0 individuals who underwent full mouth tooth extractions revealed no differences in SPFR. These results suggest that edentulism per se does not have a deleterious effect on stimulated parotid salivary flow rates. (J PROSTHET DENT 1993;70:496-9.)