Recording of swallowing events using electromyography as a non-invasive measurement of salivation

The present study examined whether the measurement of swallowing activity b y electromyography (EMG) provides a sensitive and valid method for the asse ssment of the amount of saliva secreted. Thirteen subjects tasted lemon jui ce and water, and smelled lasagna and hay, while the amount of saliva, meas ured with the aid of cotton dental roils, was compared with the number of p eaks in the EMG activity of the musculus digastricus. Swallowing indeed dif ferentiated between the stimuli and the correlation between the number of s wallows and the amount of saliva was significant. The present data suggest that monitoring the swallowing movement using EMG might be a sensitive, val id and reliable method for the measurement of salivary flow. The use is rec ommended for the measurement of salivation when a simple and non-invasive m ethod is needed. (C) 1999 Academic Press.