Saliva and dental erosion.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative literature review focusing on biological and physiological mechanisms without meta-analysis
PubMed 23138733 · doi:10.1590/s1678-77572012000500001
What was done
The authors conducted a search on MEDLINE for papers published from 1969 to 2010 examining the role of salivary factors in the development of dental erosion. Search terms included "saliva", "acquired pellicle", "salivary flow", "salivary buffering capacity", and "dental erosion". Study inclusion, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently and in duplicate by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by consensus or a third reviewer.
What was found
No quantitative findings, sample sizes, or effect estimates were reported in the abstract. Qualitatively, salivary factors protect against erosion through acid clearance via swallowing, acid dilution via flow, neutralization via buffering capacity, remineralization supported by supersaturation with calcium, phosphate, and fluoride, and protective actions of salivary and acquired pellicle proteins.
Why it matters
Synthesizing the physiological mechanisms of salivary protection against acid wear helps inform the development of targeted therapies and preventive strategies for dental erosion.
Limits
The abstract does not report the number of included studies, specific inclusion criteria, or quantitative metrics. As a narrative synthesis of biological mechanisms, it does not evaluate the clinical efficacy of specific interventions.
Cited by
- supports Saliva is naturally supersaturated with the minerals needed to repair and remineralize teeth.