Intra- and inter-individual differences in salivary sucrose clearance over time

Salivary clearance of sugars influences acid production of dental plaque. The aim of the present study was to follow the clearance of sucrose over time. Ten subjects participated in five or six experiments each during a period of 20 months. The subjects rinsed with a 20% sucrose solution. Before the rinse and after 2, 5, 10 and 30 min a saliva sample was collected. The salivary sucrose concentration was determined by an enzymatic technique. As a measure of the clearance of sucrose in saliva, the area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) was used. Analysis of variance revealed no differences with time in the intra-individual AUC. However, the differences in AUC among individuals were highly significant (p < 0.001). The results show that the clearance pattern of sucrose may be an individual property which is constant over long time periods.