[The determination of the ureolytic and glycolytic activities of human oral fluid]

The authors describe a simple and rapid method for measuring urease and glycolytic activity of mixed saliva. It is based on alteration of the color of some acid-alkaline indicators during incubation of the saliva with appropriate substrata (carbohydrates and urea). Examinations of 32 normal subjects revealed that with the developed procedure, the reactions of carbohydrate fermentation and urea hydrolysis are rapidly detected in mixed saliva samples, the test taking approximately 20 min. Urea hydrolysis was accelerated in 62 patients with inflammatory processes in the periodontium, whereas the glycolytic processes were inhibited, this indicating an increase in the share of urease-positive microorganisms and depression of glycolytic flora. Hence, the described method for measuring urease and glycolytic activities of the oral fluid is recommended for clinical dentistry to be used for rapid diagnosis of oral diseases and for screening examination, as a simple, economic, easily reproducible, and noninvasive technique.