Parotid salivary flow rates in two patients during immediate denture treatment

Parotid salivary flow rates in response to chewing or citric acid stimulation were studied in two patients who had their last maxillary teeth extracted and immediately replaced with complete dentures. The patients were monitored 6 months from the last week before extraction. Parotid salivary flow rate in response to chewing was increased after insertion of the denture. For one of the patients a particularly high output from the parotid gland was found 2 weeks after treatment. Throughout the experiment, parotid salivary flow was higher on the chewing side than on the contralateral side. At the end of the experimental period the dentures were relined. Salivary flow measured immediately after relining was lower than prior to this procedure. An increased salivary response was also observed during citric acid stimulation after transition from the dentate to the denture wearing state. This increase was more marked if the patients had their dentures in situ when the gustatory provocations were performed. It is concluded that parotid salivation increases during masticatory and gustatory stimulation in patients subjected to total extraction and immediate complete denture treatment, and that the presence of a complete denture per se appears to act as an additional mechanical stimulus in the salivary reflexes.