Application of Lemon Peel as an Unused Resource in the Oral Care Field.

Objective: The importance of oral care has recently been suggested based on the role of periodontal disease bacteria in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerotic disease and diabetes, the relationship between chewing power and brain function, and the relationship between saliva and healthy life expectancy. In the present study, the effects of domestic lemon peel on saliva secretion and oral bacterial counts were measured to investigate its potential use in oral care. Materials and Methods: The subjects enrolled in the present study were 36 community-dwelling healthy elderly individuals aged 60 years or older (age: 70.0 ± 5.9 years old). The duration of the intervention period was set at 2 weeks and a survey with a single ingestion was conducted before and after the intervention. Subjects were divided into water (11 subjects (control)), lemon juice (11), and lemon peel (12) groups. Measurement items are saliva secretion and measurement of viable bacterial counts in saliva. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze differences among the intervention beverages (inter-individual levels among the water, lemon juice, and lemon peel groups) as a factor and saliva secretion and bacterial counts in saliva as response variables. The Bonferroni test was used for multiple comparisons. Results: Changes in saliva secretion and viable bacterial counts in saliva after sample ingestion were investigated. An immediate increase in saliva secretion was observed after the ingestion of samples containing lemon peel, but not after the ingestion of water. Furthermore, slight decreases were noted in oral bacterial counts. Conclusion: An increase in saliva secretion may be useful in oral care not only for the maintenance and protection of the intraoral environment, but also physical function and QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]