Stimulated whole salivary flow rate and composition in menopausal women with oral dryness feeling.

The aim of this study was to compare stimulated whole saliva flow rate and composition of menopausal women with/without oral dryness (OD) feeling. A case-control study was carried out in 42 selected menopausal women aged 52-73 years with or without OD feeling (21 as case and 21 as control) conducted at the Clinic of Oral Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Paraffin-stimulated saliva samples were obtained by expectoration. The stimulated whole saliva composition was measured by a spectrophotometer [magnesium (Mg(+2)), calcium (Ca(+2)), chloride (Cl(-)), inorganic phosphate (Pi) and total protein], flame-photometry [sodium (Na(+))] and ion selective electrode (ISE) [potassium (K(+))] methods. No significant differences were found in stimulated whole saliva flow rate, Mg(+2), Cl(-), Pi, Na(+), K(+) and total protein concentrations between the two groups, but the mean calcium concentration was significantly higher in cases than in controls (P = 0.003). It seems that the level of salivary calcium concentration may be higher in menopausal women with OD feeling than in the control group.