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Monthly measurement of the resting saliva was performed in addition to psychosomatic therapy for patients visiting our clinic who were suspected of having decreased activity of carbonic anhydrase. According to the serum zinc content, patients were divided into a low serum zinc group ( n =22) and a mid-high serum zinc group ( n =12). Patients in the former group were advised to improve mastication efficiency and to consume more food with a high zinc content. After 6.6±5.6 months, serum zinc increased from 75.6 to 90.9 μg/dl in the former group, whereas no change was found in the latter group, though symptoms improved in the both groups. Improvement in salivary secretion was noticed in ΔpH I in the former group, and a decrease in K + concentration was found in the latter group.

This paper described physiochemical characteristics of the pH curve of saliva that accompanied escape of CO(2) and that was recorded by a previously reported method. Monthly sample of the resting saliva was collected by a small paper slip from five adults (59.9+/-16.5 years old) over 36 months. The pH curves were examined to represent differences in secretion characteristics among individuals. The following results were obtained: (1) Three variables, pH(1), Delta pH(I), and Delta pH(L), that represent a saliva pH curve indicated secretory characteristics of each individual since the intra-individual variance of them was significantly smaller than the inter-individual variance. (2) These values (mean+/-S.D.) obtained from five adults were 7.03+/-0.54, 0.24+/-0.21, and -0.10+/-0.12, and those obtained from 663 young adults (21.7+/-2.4 years old) were 7.14+/-0.44, 0.26+/-0.23, and -0.08+/-0.13. (3) A characteristic about amplitude of the Delta pH(I) of each individual was maintained over 36 months under the healthy condition. Seasonal variation of the three pH variables and their statistical distribution were also investigated.

A patient with dysgeusia of phantom sweetness was monthly monitored by a recently developed measurement of resting saliva besides of psychosomatic therapy since there were indications to be suspected declines in the serum zinc content and carbonic anhydrase activity at the first saliva inspection. The decline of serum zinc content was later supported by a chemical analysis of the blood, which was 83 μg dl −1 . After the patient enhanced her nutritional intake of zinc rich foods, her serum zinc content rose to 88 μg dl −1 and her symptoms improved. However, when the concentration of her saliva Na + increased over 10 mM, the disappearance and reappearance of the phantom sweetness symptom repeated. Thus she was advised to maintain a medium level of Na + concentration by maintaining amount of weekly exercise, which contributed to obtain continuous disappearance of the phantom sweetness over 10 months. Her serum zinc content was between 94 and 101 μg dl −1 in the latter period, and Na + concentration was maintained around average value of young adults (6.3 mM). This paper also reports the correlation between subjective intensity of phantom sweetness and Na + concentration of saliva with a phase delay of 1 month.