Level Of Salivary Flow Rate, pH Level, Buffering Capacity After Consumption Of Malaysian Tualang Honey: A Preliminary Study

This study was conducted to assess the changes of salivary pH level, salivary buffering capacity and salivary flow rate after consumption of tualang honey (TH). Fourty-four USIM dental students who fulfilled the inclusion criteria participated in this experimental blinded crossover study. Criteria for subject selection were: subjects with no active caries, no history of antibiotic usage for the past 6 months, no history of antimicrobial mouthwash usage for the past 6 months, no orthodontic appliance worn, and healthy. In phase 1, Group A did not consumed honey whereas Group B consumed honey. After 1 month washout period, subjects in Group A consumed honey and Group B stopped consuming honey. The mean salivary flow rate at baseline before honey consumption was 1.5 ± 0.52mL/min. There was a significant decreased in salivary flow rate at Day 7 and baseline. At Day 14, the salivary flow rate increased significantly when compared to Day 7. After consumption of tualang honey, there was a significant increased in salivary flow rate at Day 14 when compared to Day 3 and Day 7. There was no significant changes in salivary pH level at control phase and after consumption of tualang honey. After 2 weeks of honey consumption, the percentage of subjects who had normal salivary buffering capacity slightly reduced (38.6%).It can be concluded that 2 weeks consumption of tualang honey did not give any obvious negative effects on the salivary flow rate, saliva pH level and its buffering capacity. However, further studies will berequired to support these preliminary result.

Keywords:Buffering capacity, pH level, Salivary flow rate, Tualang honey.