Oral sugar clearance in children compared with adults
Related Experiment Videos
C G Crossner1, J C Hase, D Birkhed
1King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Young children (3- and 7-year-olds) exhibit slower oral sugar clearance and greater variability across different foods compared to older children and adults. This highlights age-related differences in oral sugar metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Oral Biology
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Oral sugar clearance is influenced by salivary function and food properties.
- Understanding age-related differences in oral sugar clearance is crucial for pediatric oral health.
- Previous research has not comprehensively compared sugar clearance across various food types in different pediatric age groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare oral sugar clearance rates for different foodstuffs in children of varying ages and adults.
- To assess the impact of age and salivary secretion rate on oral glucose clearance.
- To evaluate the variability in sugar clearance based on food form (solution, tablet, biscuit).
Main Methods:
- Study involved 30 children (3, 7, 15-year-olds) and 20 adults (normal and low salivary secretion).
- Oral sugar clearance was assessed using glucose solutions, tablets, and biscuits.
- Saliva samples were collected every 2 minutes for 11 minutes post-intake and analyzed enzymatically for glucose concentration.
Main Results:
- Oral sugar clearance accelerated with age in children.
- Adults and 15-year-olds demonstrated similar clearance patterns; dry mouth patients had the slowest clearance.
- Younger children (3- and 7-year-olds) showed greater clearance variation between foodstuffs, with solutions clearing faster than biscuits or tablets.
Conclusions:
- Young children (3- and 7-year-olds) possess slower salivary sugar clearance compared to older individuals.
- Significant variability in oral sugar clearance exists among different foodstuffs in young children.
- Age is a key determinant of oral sugar clearance efficiency, with implications for dietary recommendations in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
The aim of the present investigation was to study oral sugar clearance of various types of foodstuffs in children of different ages in comparison with adults. Thirty children and 20 adults were selected constituting five groups, each containing 10 individuals: 3-, 7-, 15-years-olds and adults, all with normal salivary secretion rate, and adults with low salivary secretion rate (dry mouth patients). Oral sugar clearance was studied using three glucose-containing products: solution, tablet and biscuit. Repeated saliva samples were collected every other minute, between 1 and 11 min after the intake, with a convenient method suitable for very young children. For that purpose, a small circular paper disc, absorbing approximately 20 microliters of saliva, was placed under the tongue for 10 s. The glucose concentration of the samples was then analyzed enzymatically. The results showed that, in children, the oral sugar clearance became faster with increasing age. The adults and the 15-year-olds had similar patterns of clearance, while the dry mouth patients had the slowest oral clearance of all groups. The 3- and 7-year-olds showed the greatest variation in oral clearance between the various foodstuffs; the solution had faster clearance than both the biscuit and the tablet. The main conclusion from this study is that young children (3- and 7-year-olds) have both slower salivary sugar clearance and larger variation in clearance among various foodstuffs than older children and adults.