EFFECTS OF HONEY CONSUMPTION ON ENAMEL MICROHARDNESS IN NORMAL VERSUSXEROSTOMIC PATIENTS

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.