[Quantitative studies on the secretory output of the palatine salivary glands]

A method for the direct measurement of the secretory output of the palatine glands is described and its clinical reliability is verified in a study on 134 persons. The results showed that, if the measuring conditions are fulfilled and the measuring parameters are kept constant, the error remains below 15%. Situative influences, such as the time of the day, the date of the measurement, etc. are just of secondary importance for the measured results. The physiological secretory output of the palatine glands averages 1.36 microliters/mm2 mucosal surface, which is about 30 times as much as the values measured in patients with symptoms of hyposalivation. Personal characteristics of the persons tested such as age, sex, etc. have no major influence on the secretory output. Serial measurements during treatment with ptyalagogues supported the evidence that this measuring method is a valuable instrument in the diagnosis of salivation disorders.