Mo. Sela et al., EFFECTS OF HONEY CONSUMPTION ON ENAMEL MICROHARDNESS IN NORMAL VERSUSXEROSTOMIC PATIENTS, Journal of oral rehabilitation, 25(8), 1998, pp. 630-634
The aim was to investigate the effect of honey on the microhardness of
enamel in normal and xerostomic patients. Normal subjects and patient
s who were xerostomic after neck irradiation, wearing prosthetic appli
ances with slabs of human enamel inserted, were asked to consume a sin
gle teaspoonful of pure honey, pH 3.9. Measurements of the saliva pH w
ere taken before, during and after a 5 min exposure to the honey. The
pH of the honey-saliva mixtures decreased significantly from about 6 t
o 4 in both groups, returning to the baseline pH after the mixture was
swallowed. The initial microhardness of the surface of the enamel sla
bs decreased significantly after consumption of a teaspoonful of the h
oney in the subjects with a regular saliva now, whereas in the irradia
ted dry-mouth patients, no enamel microhardness decrease occurred. The
supposed solubility-reducing factor present in honey which, according
to the literature remains active in the absence of saliva, but will b
e inactivated by salivary enzymes, gives some support to the hypothesi
s that honey is less cariogenic in dry-mouth subjects. The absence of
adequate controls in the present study prevents the investigation of h
ow specific this effect is to honey.